Lionel Sim

Building on the recent launch of Microsoft Research Asia – Singapore, we’re taking another meaningful step in our long-term commitment to the region. Recently, in partnership with Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), we announced the Agentic AI Accelerator — a program designed to support 300 local businesses in adopting generative AI safely and responsibly. From foundational research to real-world application, we’re investing in the full spectrum of AI innovation to help organisations build capability, upskill leadership, and unlock new growth opportunities. Thank you Low Yen Ling, Gerald Leo Cynthia Yeo Philbert Gomez Vincent Wong for spearheading this effort. Your leadership is helping shape Singapore's AI future. Proud of what’s possible when industry and government come together with a shared vision. More on the announcement here: https://lnkd.in/gax-p89c

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Just wrapped up two weeks exploring some of China's major cities 🇨🇳 - here are my key observations on their technology landscape from a consumer perspective: 📱 Mobile-first everything: WeChat dominates with thousands of mini-apps covering virtually every daily need. Combined with Alipay, Didi, Amap, Taobao, and Douyin, you rarely need to leave these ecosystems. Mobile payments are seamless and universal. 🚦 IoT integration: Small example that impressed me - WeChat Navigation shows real-time traffic light countdowns. This level of urban data integration is remarkable. ⚡ Electric transformation: Every scooter in major cities runs electric - millions of them with zero combustion engines visible. Dozens of Chinese EV brands are proliferating, some quite sophisticated (check the Xiaomi SU7 Max I spotted). 🤖 AI-powered efficiency: Image processing and scanning infrastructure is everywhere. Passport scans, QR payments, and biometric processing happen instantly with zero wait times - though this creates comprehensive location tracking, and it is pretty clear where everybody is... The technological progress over the past five years is genuinely impressive. 🚀 If you've visited China recently, I'd be curious to hear your observations on how the tech landscape has evolved. #China #Technology #AI #ElectricVehicles #MobilePayments #WeChat #Innovation #DigitalTransformation #IoT #TechTrends #ConsumerTech

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It was an honour to share about the biggest shift in human history: AI at SMU School of Computing and Information Systems Industry Day. At Google, we've viewed AI since 2018 as not just a technological advancement; it's a profound enabler that can help us tackle humanity’s most significant challenges. I shared how AI is already making a tangible difference across three critical areas: 🩺 Healthcare: From empowering doctors to detect diseases earlier to accelerating drug discovery with tools like AlphaFold, AI is shifting us from treatment to prevention and saving lives. 🌀 Climate Change: AI gives us the most precious resource in a crisis—time. Our AI-powered tools provide earlier, more accurate forecasts for floods and hurricanes, helping communities prepare and respond more effectively. 🎓Education: We’re making education more personal and accessible. AI helps students get one-on-one help and empowers teachers to create personalised learning plans, freeing them to focus on mentoring and inspiring. This vision can only be realised through a shared commitment to building robust infrastructure, investing in human capital through skilling programs, and shaping forward-thinking policies. The real value for all of us is this: AI isn't just about building new products. It’s also about empowering people to solve our greatest challenges and level the playing field for many of us. The potential is immense, and it’s a future that we can all build together. Glad to also catch up with Sun Sun Lim, Adeline Tung, Xinxing Xu and Feida Zhu.

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What an incredible Singapore Grand Prix spent hosting some of our ASEAN customers at the Marina Bay Street Circuit for an unforgettable F1 experience last weekend.    A highlight was the fireside chat with F1 legend Damon Hill, who shared fascinating insights from his championship-winning career and his perspective on how technology has revolutionized the sport since his racing days. Beyond the excitement of the race itself, we had meaningful conversations with F1 Analyst Ruth Buscombe and Sam Power about how AWS is powering F1 Insights, delivering real-time race track analysis with generative AI that giving teams unprecedented strategic insights and transforms how fans experience the sport.  Adrian De Luca also shared about the technical work that AWS does with Formula 1 & Scuderia Ferrari The parallels between F1's data-driven approach and the transformation journeys of organizations across ASEAN created fascinating discussions. The same AWS technologies helping teams make split-second decisions on the track are enabling businesses throughout our region to innovate with speed and precision. Huge thanks to all who joined us. I'm continually inspired by the innovative ways our customers are leveraging AWS to drive their own success stories, both on and off the racetrack!   #AWS #Formula1 #SingaporeGP #AWSASEAN Jaime Valles Gunish Chawla Kevin Kwan Giuseppe Marazzotta Priscilla Chong Michelle Toh Charles-Antoine Scrive Harley Young Dipika D.

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Singapore has been busy. Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Alibaba, BHP, Accenture, PwC, and Prudential have all opened AI labs, research centres, and innovation hubs here in the last 12 months alone. The two main goals of nearly all of them are developing talent and resolving actual business issues. That’s not a coincidence. Singapore is turning into an interesting place to look at if you're considering the intersection of AI, capability-building, and real-world implementation. #AI #Singapore #DigitalInnovation #TalentDevelopment #AIEcosystem #TechLeadership

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Do we want to be the AI pilot or a passenger? I attended the ASEAN AI Malaysia Summit 2025 to listen to a keynote by one of my favourite speakers, Professor Sanjay Sarma, from MIT Sloan School of Management and Asia School of Business. I want to share an important question he asked: As persons, companies, and countries, do we want to be the AI pilot or a passenger? He explained that devices are everywhere around us — the lights, the smart door, your phone, tablet, even your car — and these devices are becoming much more intelligent. They connect to the Internet, are part of IoT (Internet of Things), and incorporate AI (Artificial Intelligence). That ecosystem of IoT with AI is becoming more ubiquitous and automated, and we are all going to be part of it. Like in an airplane, we will need to decide if we want to be the pilot who controls the technology or if we are going to be passengers and be flown around, with nothing to say. We can decide not to take an airplane, but we can’t avoid the automation that IoT and AI will bring. To be in control of this new reality, we need to learn how it works. Many nations are preparing to control it by upskilling their people; others are not, and will become the passengers of those nations that do. Are we doing what it takes to become a nation of pilots? Sanjay doesn't have a LinkedIn profile, but you can find more about him at Wikipedia (link in the first comment). 

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