Speech by Senior Minister of State Low Yen Ling at the Launch of STMicroelectronics-National University of Singapore Hardware for Embodied Low-Power Intelligent Xcceleration[...]

Mr Bertrand Stoltz,

Executive Vice President, Corporate Finance, Asia Public Affairs, and Managing Director, Singapore,

STMicroelectronics,

Dr Giuseppe Desoli,

ST Company Fellow, General Manager & Group Vice President of System Research and Applications Group, and ST Chief Innovation Officer, STMicroelectronics,

Dr Serge Nicoleau,

Group Vice President of Technology, STMicroelectronics,

Prof Tan Eng Chye,

President, National University of Singapore,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Good morning. I am delighted to join you today for the launch of the STMicroelectronics-NUS HELIX Corporate Laboratory.

2. Let me first congratulate STMicroelectronics and NUS on this significant partnership. ST has been a longstanding partner in Singapore's semiconductor journey. Meanwhile, NUS has built deep research capabilities spanning semiconductors, computing and AI.

3. Professor Tan spoke about translating research into innovation. Mr Stoltz highlighted ST's longstanding commitment to building, innovating and investing in Singapore. Let me focus on what HELIX means for Singapore's next phase of semiconductor innovation.

4. Singapore is a global node in the semiconductor industry. We aim to secure and extend our leadership in this sphere. We will increase our investment in AI, automation and digital technologies, and also strengthen R&D to accelerate innovation and bring new technologies from the lab to market faster.

5. HELIX exemplifies an approach that Singapore has pursued through our Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) plans over the years. We bring industry and research institutions together to turn innovation into economic impact.

6. Let me highlight three ways Helix will contribute to Singapore's semiconductor ambitions. It will: strengthen Singapore's technological capabilities, translate research into impact, and develop talent and partnerships to boost our edge.

Strengthening Semiconductor Capabilities

7. One, HELIX will strengthen Singapore's capabilities at the convergence of semiconductors and AI.

8. Singapore is already a critical node in the global semiconductor supply chain. We account for one in 10 chips, and one in five semiconductor manufacturing equipment worldwide. But we cannot take this position for granted.

9. As a small economy, Singapore cannot compete on scale. We must build deep capabilities and differentiate ourselves through innovation and technological leadership. This is why we are investing $800 million in the RIE Flagship in Semiconductors under RIE2030.

10. HELIX complements these efforts. As Professor Tan explained, more AI applications are moving beyond the cloud and closer to where data is generated. This shift requires advanced edge AI hardware that can deliver faster, more energy-efficient and secure AI performance directly on devices. By bringing together ST's industry expertise and NUS' research strength, HELIX will build capabilities and advance next-generation edge AI hardware in Singapore.

Turning Research into Impact

11. Two, HELIX will help translate research excellence into industry innovation.

12. Research creates the greatest value when good ideas become technologies that companies can validate, adopt and commercialise. For Singapore, our research investments must ultimately lead to new capabilities, fresh solutions and more economic opportunities.

13. Corporate labs like HELIX help shorten this path. They bring researchers and industry engineers together from the start. This keeps research closely aligned with industry needs and accelerates the path to commercialisation.

14. HELIX will pursue research across the full technology stack, from AI models and system architecture to circuit design and chip integration. This will help address key challenges in edge AI, including energy efficiency, memory bandwidth and latency.

Growing Talent and Partnerships

15. Three, HELIX will deepen Singapore's talent and innovation ecosystem.

16. Professor Tan and Mr Stoltz have both spoken about the importance of talent. Through HELIX, over 20 researchers, students and engineers from NUS and ST will work together on industry-relevant challenges across AI systems and chip design.

17. This will help develop talent who can bridge research and industry. They will gain deep technical expertise as well as practical experience in solving real-world challenges. It will also strengthen links between our universities, companies and the wider research ecosystem.

18. Ladies and gentlemen, the next wave of semiconductor innovation requires technological leadership, effective translation from research to industry, and a deep pool of talent. HELIX brings all three together.

19. The government will continue to support partnerships that strengthen Singapore's research and innovation ecosystem. We will create new opportunities for industry and reinforce our position as a trusted global hub for semiconductors and advanced technologies.

20. Once again, my warm congratulations to ST and NUS. I look forward to the new capabilities, partnerships and breakthroughs that will emerge from HELIX.

21. Thank you.