Fujitsu Asia and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have signed in Singapore a master research collaboration agreement to accelerate the research and development of AI and converging technology solutions for future of manufacturing, trust technologies and healthcare and medical applications.
The agreement will allow both organisations to leverage their respective strengths in a variety of research areas to translate innovative ideas into benefits for users. Fujitsu also aims to successfully develop commercial solutions for their customers in the APAC region. Fujitsu anticipates that the initial focus will be on resolving customers’ challenges in the areas of manufacturing and retail.
“This agreement marks the beginning of a promising new collaboration that I’m confident will yield many exciting and innovative projects,” said Elson Chia, president, Fujitsu Asia. “Our relationship with A*STAR will not only strengthen our research capabilities in Singapore, but also demonstrates Fujitsu’s ongoing commitment to partnering with innovation leaders globally to deliver solutions to the problems confronting humanity.”
Fujitsu has previously partnered A*STAR in research areas such as computational social science and engineering, and quantum-inspired computing and deep learning technology. Furthermore, Fujitsu has been a tier 2 member of A*STAR’s Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) consortium since 2017, and it is continuing the ARTC membership to pursue advanced manufacturing research and collaborations. Fujitsu will explore technologies in relation to sustainable manufacturing and supply chain resilience.
Under the new master research collaboration agreement, Fujitsu will be able to enter research and development collaborations with A*STAR research entities for a period of three years.
Through the course of its new research projects under the agreement, Fujitsu additionally aims to nurture local talent in technology areas of special strategic significance like AI. This effort includes Singapore’s institutes of higher learning, universities and polytechnics through internship placement and allowing them to participate in the Master Research Collaboration Projects.
Fujitsu is also exploring applications in last mile logistics together with A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), under the master research collaboration agreement.
Professor Lim Keng Hui, assistant chief executive, Science & Engineering Research Council, A*STAR, said: “We are pleased to build on the relationship between Fujitsu and A*STAR to continue addressing R&D priorities important to Singapore. Collaboration is key and we look forward to co-innovating with Fujitsu under this new partnership to accelerate the development of solutions that can benefit society and the economy. Both parties will also be able to leverage this collaboration to deepen our talent development and foster new capabilities.”
