Sea launches AI centre in Singapore with 100+ new roles
Sea, the Singapore-based technology company, announced Monday that it will establish an Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence in the city-state. The company expects to create at least 100 positions in research, engineering and product development over the next three years.
The centre will split its focus across three areas: foundational AI research, scalable deployment of AI systems into production, and developing local talent in AI-native roles.
What the centre will do
On the research side, the centre will advance foundation model development and evaluation frameworks. It will also build internal tooling to keep pace with frontier developments in the field.
The deployment focus means translating research advances into production-ready solutions that can scale sustainably. Sea says this will enhance user experience and operational efficiency across its platforms.
The third pillar involves nurturing AI talent and experimenting with new operating models that AI technology enables.
Sea's in-house models
Sea will use the centre to develop and deepen applications of its own AI models, including Compass Max v3.5, a 245-billion-parameter large language model built for Southeast Asian languages and e-commerce contexts.
The model currently powers multiple AI features on Shopee, Sea's e-commerce platform. Sea says Compass Max v3.5 operates with greater responsiveness and at a fraction of the cost of other commercial large language models.
Forrest Li, Sea's chairman and chief executive, said the company views AI as a foundational capability that shapes how it builds products, operates globally and creates value. He noted that developing in-house AI capabilities also strengthens Singapore's broader AI ecosystem.
Government support
The centre launched with backing from Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), a joint office run by the Economic Development Board, Enterprise Singapore and the Infocomm Media Development Authority.
Philbert Gomez, senior vice-president and executive director of DISG, said the investment reinforces Singapore's position as a global AI hub. He highlighted that the new roles in AI for Product Development and engineering will give Singaporeans opportunities to build AI products with global reach.
For product development professionals, the centre's focus on Generative AI and LLM applications across e-commerce and regional language support signals where industry capability is concentrating.
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