NEC opens new lab in S’pore to help create smart city

SINGAPORE — NEC, the Japanese information and communications technology (ICT) giant, is expanding its Asia-Pacific headquarters here to include a new research centre focusing on data analytics that will create urban solutions for regional markets, kicking off with Singapore.

“The NEC Laboratories Singapore (NLS) will start with a team of around 10 researchers, whose immediate priority will be to develop and test new solutions for the Safe City Test Bed Project,” NLS head Keiji Yamada told reporters yesterday.

Announced by the Government in May, the test bed project aims to transform Singapore into a safe and smart city via advanced ICT.

The Japanese company leads one of the four consortia participating in the project.

The centre will focus first on research areas such as big data analytics, cybersecurity and smart energy, Mr Yamada said.

“On top of the test bed project, the NLS aims to accelerate the time-to-market of new technologies that help contribute to the resolution of a broad range of business and social concerns in our Asia-Pacific markets,” the group’s President Nobuhiro Endo added.

The NLS is NEC’s fifth research centre globally, and its first to focus on the Asia-Pacific, where the group expects rapid growth in demand for ICT-driven urban solutions, especially in developing countries such as Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.

“Singapore’s strategic location within the Asia-Pacific and an environment that is conducive for research and innovation are the reasons why we’re setting up a new lab here to tap the regional growth,” Mr Endo said.

Mr Leo Yip, Chairman of the Economic Development Board, said: “As NEC develops new solutions, we are confident that it will be able to leverage Singapore’s strong research ecosystem and established portfolio of industry verticals.”

The lab, which aims to grow its team to around 50 researchers by 2016, is now in talks with the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore University of Technology and Design for partnerships.

Wong Wei Han