{"id":47687,"date":"2026-06-16T23:37:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:37:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bondahx.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/how-lorong-ai-is-shaping-singapores-ai-ecosystem\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T23:37:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:37:55","slug":"how-lorong-ai-is-shaping-singapores-ai-ecosystem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bondahx.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/how-lorong-ai-is-shaping-singapores-ai-ecosystem\/","title":{"rendered":"How Lorong AI is shaping Singapore\u2019s AI ecosystem"},"content":{"rendered":"


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[This is a sponsored article with\u00a0the\u00a0Singapore Government Partnerships Office<\/a>.]<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

Singapore\u2019s push in artificial intelligence (AI) has accelerated in recent years, with adoption expected to contribute billions to the economy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To unlock this potential, the government is creating spaces that bring together industry, researchers, and public sector players to collaborate, innovate and share knowledge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One such initiative is Lorong AI<\/strong><\/a>, launched in Jan 2025 by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI). The hub provides a collaborative space for practitioners across sectors to connect, exchange ideas, and partner on AI projects.<\/p>\n

Lorong AI has been operating as a pilot initiative at a WeWork co-working space at Cross Street over the past year. There is an activity held almost every day of the week, and in Feb 2026, Lorong AI expanded its operations to a larger space at Vidacity in one-north.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This expansion comes at a pivotal time, as Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong recently announced on Mar 2, 2026 that Kampong AI<\/a>\u2014Singapore\u2019s first AI park combining work and living spaces\u2014will be developed at one-north by 2028.<\/p>\n

Vulcan Post <\/em>went down to the new Lorong AI site at one-north to find out more about how Lorong AI is trying to bring people in the industry, as well as other sectors, together.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lorong AI was inspired by large tech hubs overseas<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Speaking to Vulcan Post<\/em>, Edmund Zhou, director-in-charge of Lorong AI, shared that the idea for the hub came about following a visit by MDDI officers to large tech centres like Silicon Valley and Dubai\u2019s Area 2071, a few years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What they observed at these hubs was not just the presence of capital or talent, but people running into each other, conversations spilling beyond scheduled meetings, and communities forming around shared problems. Natural partnerships emerged from purposeful and incidental interactions.<\/p>\n

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Neural Networking at Lorong AI<\/em>.\/ Image Credit: Lorong AI<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This gave inspiration to open a place in Singapore where ideas and collaborations on AI can flow as freely as \u201cconversations down an alley.\u201d The name \u201cLorong AI\u201d was chosen to reflect this vision\u2014a local flavour for a space where people could gather to find out \u201cwhat the word on the street is\u201d about AI.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are a practitioner, you can easily relate to some of the interesting things happening here,\u201d Zhou said. \u201cAnd if you are someone looking to explore, adopt, or just learn more about AI, this can also be a place for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lorong AI\u2019s events can attract hundreds<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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AI Wednesdays on Agents and Governance<\/em>.\/ Image Credit: Lorong AI<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lorong AI started with trialling weekly \u2018AI Wednesdays\u2019 in 2024, before opening it up to the general public.\u00a0<\/p>\n

AI Wednesdays was created for public officers, and led by scientists, engineers, and researchers, covering various topics from technical deep dives on model development to discussions on emerging industry trends.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the scope of engagement grew, programmes like \u2018Co-working Mondays,\u2019 \u2018AI ToolsDays,\u2019 \u2018ThursTalks\u2019 and \u2018Fri-DIYs\u2019\u2014were added to the programming for the week<\/a>, with the latest addition of \u2018Out of Lorong Experiences\u2019 and \u2018Gotong Royong.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNo two days are the same, as with every week,\u201d said Assistant Director of MDDI, Muhammad Zahari bin Abu Talib, who is also one of the MDDI officers who oversees Lorong AI\u2019s daily operations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of course, participant demographics expanded as well. Lorong AI now sees practitioners, industry players, and curious newcomers all coming together to learn from each other and explore potential collaborations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The Co-Creation Playbook: Prompt-to-Partnership with Figma<\/em>.\/ Image Credit: Lorong AI<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although Lorong AI\u2019s initial WeWork space at Cross Street could only seat 70 people, talks by industry leaders from companies like OpenAI, Manus and Figma frequently attract over 100 attendees, far exceeding its capacity.<\/p>\n

While the team invites companies to share their insights with the community, they draw firm lines to ensure the collaborative space isn\u2019t used as a channel for product promotion. This keeps the focus on genuine knowledge-sharing and partnership-building.<\/p>\n

The importance of face-to-face interactions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

At Lorong AI\u2019s newest one-north space, the team foresees more exciting events, workshops, and hackathons to come with its larger 140-person seating space.<\/p>\n

It is intentionally designed as an open-concept space, which encourages informal conversations in which anyone can chime in, catalysing future collaborations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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OpenAI Codex Hackathon<\/em>.\/ Image Credit: Lorong AI<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Small, tangible details\u2014like member lanyards or a board showing who\u2019s around\u2014make it easier to spot each other and start talking. With so much AI talent in one place, those casual interactions can quietly grow into new ideas and unexpected partnerships.<\/p>\n

While it may seem ironic for a tech-driven initiative to emphasise physical space, the team believes that face-to-face interaction is essential for building the trust that drives partnerships. \u201cIf it\u2019s purely virtual, a lot of things seem a little bit more transactional, and then the communication somehow lacks a little bit of the human touch,\u201d Zhou noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition, if an individual ever needs help in any area, the Lorong AI team would suggest companies or individuals with expertise and link them up.<\/p>\n

From conversations to concrete outcomes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In 2025 alone, Lorong AI saw 4,000 attendees across its events. It now has over 260 paying members, about two-thirds of whom are AI practitioners, with the remainder comprising researchers and curious newcomers working on products or programmes.<\/p>\n

Besides locals, there have been transient visitors from overseas, who, on their pit stops in Singapore, give talks at Lorong AI\u2019s programmes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Prof Torsten Hoefler\u2019s sharing on AI for Climate Sciences<\/em><\/em>.\/ Image Credit: Lorong AI<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Impressively, more than 14 collaborations have sprouted from discussions at Lorong AI. The team\u2019s goal is simple: \u201cWe are trying to increase the number of collisions through both engineered interactions via events and incidental interactions through co-working.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, Zhou shared that a group of members who were comparing AI models ended up collaborating and publishing a research paper together. The paper, co-authored by responsible AI and cybersecurity experts, focused on detecting and disrupting hostile AI agents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another instance saw an individual with a limited AI background come into Lorong AI, thinking of ways to launch a business. Through involvement in the community, they acquired the skills and knowledge needed to develop an AI coach for physical fitness.<\/p>\n

Lorong AI as a foundational piece of the bigger AI puzzle<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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ThursTalks sharing on Personalised Computing with Hui Chien<\/em><\/em>.\/ Image Credit: Lorong AI<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Loy Hui Chien, one of the first distinguished contributors, shared that having a space like Lorong AI is vital to the AI scene in Singapore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As someone who doesn\u2019t work in the technology space, he has found the community at Lorong AI to be pivotal to his AI journey, from self-learning fundamentals to building a research agent that can curate sources and produce reports in minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Especially for a small country like Singapore, we can do more with (more) synergy fostered amongst the AI community in spaces like Lorong AI.<\/em><\/p>\n

Loy Hui Chien<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Zhou, who has been closely involved in the initiative, sees it as a reinforcing loop: the more value participants derive from the space, the more like-minded individuals it attracts.<\/p>\n

As Singapore positions itself in the global AI race, Lorong AI aims to play a role <\/strong>in building the collaborative networks that will drive the nation\u2019s AI future.<\/p>\n

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Lorong AI will play a contributing role [to support Singapore\u2019s AI landscape]. What we hear from people who come is that they appreciate having a community they can turn to.<\/em><\/p>\n

Edmund Zhou<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This vision of creating collaborative spaces extends beyond Lorong AI to initiatives like the upcoming Kampong AI, further cementing Singapore\u2019s commitment to partnership-driven AI development<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a domain defined by algorithms and automation, Lorong AI is betting that the real differentiator may still be something fundamentally human: the power of conversation.<\/p>\n

You can find out more about Lorong AI here<\/a>, and sign up for programmes through this link<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Inspired by Lorong AI\u2019s community-driven approach? Beyond project guidance, the Singapore Government Partnerships Office has launched a new SG Partnerships Fund<\/a> to support citizen-led initiatives at different stages of development.<\/p>\n

Featured Image Credit: Lorong AI<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n