From Reuters, April 23:
- Chinese firms seek to avoid government attention, political bias
- US firms seek foreign talent without US visa complication
- Singapore offers incentives in its quest to become AI power
- AI flight to Singapore could give rise to restrictions
Singapore is transforming from East-West gateway to neutral ground for the AI sector, with Chinese startups hoping to operate beyond government reach while U.S. firms seek foreign talent without the headache of stricter visa regulations.
The city-state, a longtime darling for its business-friendly stance and bilingual population, is increasingly being seen as a place to keep both China and the U.S. at bay, rather than acting as a bridge, as the superpowers vie for technological superiority through avenues such as export and talent control.
Setting up in Singapore "gives a lot of comfort" to international clients that a startup's intellectual property is on the island and therefore not subject to controls from either China or the U.S., said Kerry Goh, CEO of Kamet Capital.
Goh advised two former executives of Chinese tech leader Alibaba (9988.HK), seeking investment to establish AI video business Topview in Singapore in anticipation of international clients' wariness of Chinese government oversight.
"Your clients are not Chinese. This product is not available in China," therefore setting up shop in Singapore increases the chance of selling to the U.S., Goh said of Topview, which has received over $8 million in Kamet investment since 2024.
U.S. President Donald Trump brought Sino-U.S. tech rivalry to the forefront during his first term with talk of security risks, leaving tech firms to steer through tit-for-tat measures that intensified in his second term with the spread of AI....
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