Google DeepMind expands Singapore partnership with focus on health AI

Google DeepMind has announced a series of new programmes in Singapore as part of its National Partnerships for AI initiative, targeting healthcare, scientific research, and workforce development.

The announcement forms part of a broader National AI partnership between Google and the Singapore Government, building on the opening of a Google DeepMind research lab in the country last year.

The partnership spans several public sector organisations and focuses on applying frontier AI to areas including pandemic preparedness, clinical care, and disability inclusion.

In healthcare, Google DeepMind said it is exploring a collaboration with public health clusters as part of its AI co-clinician research initiative, which examines how AI systems can support clinical decision-making and patient care journeys alongside physicians. The company described a model of “triadic care” in which AI agents assist patients under the clinical authority of their doctor, drawing on clinical guidelines and scientific literature.

On infectious disease, Google DeepMind and Google.org said they would support pandemic preparedness research across Southeast Asia using tools including AlphaFold and Google Earth AI. The work forms part of Google.org’s contribution to the Philanthropy Asia Alliance’s Health for Human Potential coalition, which has received $7 million in funding.

The partnership also includes a project with SG Enable, Singapore’s disability and inclusion agency, to develop a Gemma-powered running assistant for blind and low-vision athletes. The tool uses spatial reasoning to provide real-time environmental awareness, enabling independent running without physical guides or human assistance.

In research, Google DeepMind said it would work with the National Research Foundation to train local scientists in agentic AI tools, including a hypothesis generation system built with Co-Scientist, and would host workshops to support the broader scientific community.

Google cited an independent analysis projecting that AI-accelerated research and development could generate an additional S$3.3 billion (approximately US$2.5 billion) in economic value in Singapore by 2040.