By Alice Chambers |
A Microsoft initiative has begun in Singapore to help small, medium and large organisations deploy practical, enterprise-ready AI solutions.
The AI QuickStart programme is supported by Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and United Oversea Bank (UOB) and aims to deploy AI for better employee knowledge, customer engagement, operations automation, content creation and conversational analytics.
Microsoft aims to complete deployment projects within three months, with costs capped at up to S$20,000 ($15,700).
“We are seeing a new wave of frontier small and medium enterprises (SMEs) emerging in Singapore – organisations that are using AI not as an experiment, but as a core capability to run leaner operations, serve customers better, and grow with confidence,” said Rachel Bondi, corporate vice president of SMEs and channel at Microsoft Asia. “AI QuickStart removes the biggest barriers – figuring out how to implement, scale and govern safely, while choosing the right tools and managing the cost of trusted tech partners with the support of IMDA. It’s a simple, low risk way for SMEs to experience the value of AI and accelerate their digital journey.”
UOB will provide tools and guidance through its UOB FinLab AI Ready programme to help qualifying companies to adopt AI.
The initiative builds on Microsoft and Singapore government agencies’ earlier projects to encourage enterprise digital transformation, including the GenAI x Digital Leaders initiative and the Copilot for SMEs programme that provided subsidised licences for Microsoft 365 Copilot.