Underpinning Southeast Asia's smart city revolution is the use of cutting-edge technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI). Singapore has a National AI Strategy in place and is implementing seven National AI Projects across healthcare, smart estates, education, border security, logistics, finance, and government. In addition, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and others, have also developed their own unique national AI roadmaps.
We are living through an urban revolution in Southeast Asia as local governments and enterprises work together to implement secure, robust infrastructures to support an evolving smart city vision.
While Singapore stands at the forefront of smart city development, having ranked 7th globally in IMD's 2023 Smart City Index, neighbouring Southeast Asian nations are also embarking on similar journeys – each at their own pace. The Philippines, for instance, has committed to six smart city projects across three cities. And, in Indonesia, the government aims to establish 100 smart cities by 2045.
