The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Siemens have signed a memorandum of understanding to accelerate innovation and digital transformation for smart and sustainable manufacturing for companies in Singapore and across ASEAN.

The duo said in a statement on Friday that the collaboration aims to address key challenges by facilitating faster access to industrial artificial intelligence (AI) and automation expertise, and developing sustainable manufacturing processes that meet international standards.

This will also support companies expanding into the region in becoming more agile, resilient, and globally competitive.

As part of the collaboration, Siemens will become the first technology partner for A*STAR’s Smart and Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (SSAM) Catalyst, an innovation sandbox hosted within the A*STAR Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (A*STAR ARTC).

At this innovation sandbox, Siemens presents an integrated portfolio of automation, electrification, industrial software, and AI solutions with comprehensive capabilities across the entire product lifecycle—from design and engineering to advanced manufacturing and operations.

These solutions bridge the digital and physical worlds, empowering companies to accelerate innovation, boost efficiency, and build resilient, future-ready operations that define the next era of industrial production.

A*STAR ARTC looks to build a dynamic innovation sandbox ecosystem, bringing together technology partners such as Siemens, solution integrators, and end-users to co-develop
solutions and translate research into real-world impact.

A*STAR ARTC draws on its research expertise and a suite of advanced technologies—from next generation manufacturing process, smart manufacturing and intelligent sustainability analytics to precision imaging and autonomous systems, to help companies transform their operations and adopt next-generation manufacturing solutions to stay competitive.

The SSAM Catalyst demonstrates how industrial automation, digitalization and AI solutions can be integrated with A*STAR’s advanced manufacturing technologies.

Companies can experiment with these solutions, accelerating the development of use cases that address industry-specific needs in sectors such as aerospace, fast-moving consumer goods and biomedical, as well as complex semiconductor equipment manufacturing.

The A*STAR Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (A*STAR ISCE²) and Siemens are also collaborating on selected research projects to explore how industrial automation and digital tools can support decarbonization in the chemicals and energy sector.

The collaboration also includes efforts to demonstrate how Siemens’ Digital Twin capabilities—which empower chemical engineers to simulate and optimize chemical processes,
and design production facilities—can be applied to integrate engineering and operations in manufacturing plants.

This can help companies manage the complexity of plant design and accelerate construction timelines.

This collaboration between A*STAR and Siemens exemplifies strong synergy between the private and public sectors in advancing the regional advanced manufacturing ecosystem.

By aligning innovation, sustainability and industry needs, the collaboration aims to position Singapore as a launchpad for scalable solutions that can benefit ASEAN and beyond.

“Our partnership with A*STAR reflects Siemens’ deep commitment to shaping the future of manufacturing in ASEAN,

“By combining Industrial AI, digital twin technology, and intelligent automation, we are enabling companies to transform at speed and scale—toward greater resilience, sustainability, and global competitiveness,” said Thai-Lai Pham, President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens ASEAN.

Prof Lim Keng Hui, Assistant Chief Executive, Science and Engineering Research Council, A*STAR, said that together with Siemens, they are developing solutions that will accelerate digital transformation and support decarbonization efforts across the region.

“This represents A*STAR’s continued commitment to translational research, bridging the gap between frontier research and real-world applications with industry partners,

“This multi-faceted collaboration looks to strengthen Singapore’s position as a regional hub for smart and sustainable manufacturing in ASEAN,” he added.

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