Singapore partners with Anthropic to expand public sector AI adoption

Singapore has signed a new agreement with artificial intelligence company Anthropic to promote the responsible use of AI across government services and businesses, as the country looks to strengthen its digital capabilities and improve AI safety.

The agreement was announced alongside the opening of Anthropic’s new commercial office in Singapore on 14 October 2026. The office represents the company’s fifth location in the Asia-Pacific region and is intended to strengthen its relationships with government agencies, businesses and developers.

The memorandum of understanding was signed by Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information and Anthropic, the company behind the Claude family of AI models. The partnership will focus on AI safety, security, model evaluation and the responsible deployment of AI across the public and private sectors.

Government agencies already using AI

The partnership builds on Singapore’s existing adoption of Anthropic’s technology, particularly within its public sector.

More than 1,500 engineers and technical staff at the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) are already using Claude Code to help modernise government systems and accelerate software development.

The technology is being used to help teams build, maintain and improve digital services, potentially allowing government developers to work more efficiently.

Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency is also exploring how Claude could support the country’s cyber defence capabilities.

However, the agreement extends beyond software development. Singapore and Anthropic intend to work together on evaluating AI models, assessing potential security risks and improving the technical expertise needed to deploy increasingly capable AI systems safely.

The collaboration will also examine opportunities to help small and medium-sized businesses adopt AI responsibly.

AI safety and security take centre stage

A key element of the agreement is cooperation on AI safety and model evaluation.

Anthropic has worked with Singaporean institutions since 2023, when it participated in the country’s Generative AI Evaluation Sandbox alongside the Infocomm Media Development Authority and the AI Verify Foundation.

That work included testing AI models through red-teaming exercises designed to identify weaknesses and potential safety problems. Assessments covered English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, reflecting Singapore’s multilingual population.

Under the new agreement, Anthropic plans to hold further technical exchanges with Singapore’s AI safety, security and assurance institutions.

These activities will cover model evaluation, testing standards and incident response, giving government organisations greater insight into the capabilities and risks associated with advanced AI systems.

The partnership will also support the development of AI skills among public sector employees and provide technical expertise as Singapore continues to develop its approach to AI governance.

Singapore’s government has emphasised that public trust will be essential to the wider adoption of the technology.

The agreement is intended to help organisations benefit from AI while ensuring that security, reliability and responsible use remain central considerations.

Singapore becomes a major market for Anthropic

The expansion reflects the growing popularity of Anthropic’s technology in Singapore.

According to the company’s latest Economic Index, Singapore ranks second among 121 countries for Claude usage relative to population size. Its adoption level is nearly six times higher than population figures alone would predict.

Anthropic already works with several major organisations operating in the country.

DBS, Southeast Asia’s largest banking group, uses Claude for activities including software development and everyday productivity tasks. The bank operates within its own security and governance framework.

Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, GIC, is also rolling out Claude across investment and corporate services teams.

Meanwhile, ride-hailing company Grab uses Claude to power BriX, an internal sales assistant. Anthropic says the tool saves Grab’s sales representatives approximately 40,000 hours every quarter while helping them identify additional sales opportunities.

Technology group Sea, which operates Shopee, Garena and Monee, is also using Claude across its engineering operations. Applications include software development and customer service improvements.

These deployments demonstrate how AI is moving beyond experimental projects into everyday business operations, although the benefits will depend on how effectively organisations integrate the technology into existing workflows.

Local presence supports wider AI ambitions

Opening a permanent Singapore office gives Anthropic a stronger local presence as demand for its technology grows across Asia-Pacific.

The company says its local team will work more closely with organisations using Claude, helping them apply AI to complex technical and operational challenges.

The office opening was accompanied by developer engagement activities, including a Builder Summit that attracted more than 300 software engineers. A separate community gathering brought together more than 700 local developers.

Anthropic’s expansion also reflects Singapore’s ambition to establish itself as a leading centre for AI development and adoption.

For the government, the challenge will be to encourage innovation while ensuring that increasingly capable systems can be deployed without introducing unacceptable security or operational risks.

The agreement with Anthropic provides a framework for cooperation, but its longer-term impact will depend on how the proposed safety evaluations, skills programmes and public sector deployments develop.

As governments worldwide explore ways to incorporate AI into public services, Singapore’s partnership could provide an example of how governments and AI developers work together to assess risks while expanding the technology’s practical use.