Singtel Partners with Bridge Alliance to Launch GPU-as-a-Service Across Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE, August 19, 2024 – Singtel, a leading communications technology group in Asia, has announced a strategic partnership with Bridge Alliance, a prominent mobile alliance comprising 35 member operators worldwide, to roll out its GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) offering across Southeast Asia. The collaboration will see leading regional telcos, including AIS, Maxis, and Telkomsel, among the first to introduce the service in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, respectively.

This partnership follows Singtel’s earlier announcement in February of the upcoming launch of its GPUaaS, which will provide enterprises with access to NVIDIA’s advanced AI computing capabilities. The service is designed to enable companies to deploy AI solutions at scale quickly and cost-effectively, driving growth and innovation across various industries.

AI technology has the potential to significantly boost the Southeast Asian economy, with projections suggesting it could contribute nearly USD 1 trillion by 2030. Recognizing this potential, regional governments have introduced national AI roadmaps to harness the technology’s transformative power responsibly.

As part of the agreement, Bridge Alliance member operators will gain access to Singtel’s GPUaaS, with plans to expand GPU clusters in these countries as demand grows. Bridge Alliance will support these operators in accelerating their go-to-market strategies and ensuring the success of the GPUaaS offerings with local enterprises.

Bill Chang, CEO of Singtel’s Digital InfraCo unit, expressed optimism about the partnership, noting the strong interest from AIS, Maxis, and Telkomsel. “Our collaboration with Bridge Alliance and regional telcos will democratize and accelerate AI adoption by enterprises across Southeast Asia, providing them with the tools to achieve greater productivity and business value through our next-generation digital infrastructure and solutions,” Chang said.

Singtel’s Paragon platform, which orchestrated AI capabilities in the 5G@Sentosa trials for Singapore government agencies, will play a key role in this initiative. The platform’s ability to deploy 5G use cases at speed and scale positions it as a vital tool for the region’s telcos as they roll out 5G network services.

Dr. Ong Geok Chwee, CEO of Bridge Alliance, emphasized the alliance’s role in bringing GPUaaS and AI computing to enterprises in Southeast Asia. “Through our extensive coverage and ability to integrate services across multiple markets, this initiative validates the value of the Bridge Alliance ecosystem as a preferred solution partner, particularly for companies with multinational operations,” Dr. Ong said.

Leaders from the participating telcos also voiced their support for the initiative. Phupa Akavipat, acting Chief Enterprise Business Officer of AIS, highlighted the importance of AI in driving business transformation in Thailand, while Maxis CEO Goh Seow Eng pointed to the flexibility and cost-efficiency GPUaaS offers Malaysian businesses. Wong Soon Nam, Director of Planning and Transformation at Telkomsel, noted the platform’s potential to empower Indonesian enterprises by simplifying AI adoption and supporting a wide range of use cases.

At its launch, Singtel’s GPUaaS will be powered by NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPU clusters, with plans to introduce NVIDIA’s next-generation GB200 AI Servers. The service will expand further with the opening of new AI-ready data centers by Nxera, Singtel’s regional data center business, across Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, beginning in mid-2025.