Singapore Industry 4.0 Start-up Map 2021

Let-Lab has done extensive research in Singapore Industry 4.0 vibrant ecosystem and is proud to?publish the Singapore Industry 4.0 Start-up Map 2021. This has been an attempt to map and form a list of all Singaporean Industry 4.0 start-ups, accelerators, incubators, investors and other supporting organizations such as research institutes and government bodies.?

[Oct 2021] For the latest version of the map, use to this link.

Industry 4.0 is when automation powered by data aids in performing tasks, blurring the lines between physical, digital and biological worlds. Industry 4.0 technology usually involves the combination of two or more technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, internet of things or advanced manufacturing.

Also known as the fourth industrial revolution, it has been a concern on its impact on the workforce, with the McKinsey Global Institute's report predicting that 400-800 million jobs will be lost to automation by 2030. The report also mentioned that only 5% of current occupations will be automated, with numerous existing jobs redefined and new jobs will be created. This expected change has impacted the decision making and investments of countries around the world. An example of one such country employing specific strategies to be ahead of the curve is Singapore.

Singapore: Focus on Science, Technology & Industry

Singapore has plans to continue investing in science and technology to keep the island-nation competitive and relevant globally while building a vibrant digital economy. The Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 plan features an investment of over US$18 Billion in science and technology. One of the areas of focus is Singapore's research & development capabilities, where investment has shown consistent growth over the years, with the proportion of Singapore's publications amongst the top 10% most highly cited worldwide showing great improvements. This is due to their world-class research infrastructure and facilities in their Institutes of Higher Learning, such as the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and research institutes like the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Singapore is also home to a vibrant and dynamic ecosystem. Since 2014, Singapore has held the top rank in Asia Pacific on the Global Innovation Index, an annual ranking of 130 economies compiled by the World Intellectual Property Organisation, Cornell University and INSEAD. Global companies have invested strongly in Singapore with 80 of the top 100 technology companies establishing a presence there, including Google and Facebook. The start-up ecosystem is also thriving, with over 36,000 startups choosing to locate themselves in Singapore.

Singapore is also primed for growth of industrial technologies. This is evident from the emphasis placed on manufacturing, especially electronics. The manufacturing sector has contributed US$79 Billion, about 21% of Singapore's GDP. It is also expected to grow by over 50% in the next decade. Much of Singapore's manufacturing revolves around electronics, accounting to a year on year rise by over 30%. Several prominent semiconductor companies have hubs in Singapore. Some notable ones are Micron, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, ROHM Semiconductors.

It is also noteworthy to mention Singapore's offshore industry. Singapore is often listed as one of the world's top oil trading and refining hubs with a total crude oil refining capacity of 1.5 million barrels per day. The island houses over 95 leading oil & gas, petrochemicals and specialty chemicals companies in the world. Some of the companies are Shell, BP and Chevron.

Innovation Ecosystem & Industry 4.0

The innovation ecosystem is also filled with prominent global companies as they choose to locate their corporate venture capitals or similar infrastructures in Singapore. Softbank Ventures, Singtel Innov8, Intel Capital, Hyundai CRADLE and the Shell start-up engine are just a few examples of such ventures established by MNCs in Singapore. This is undoubtedly due to the support of Singapore's government as well as the thriving eco-system and talent pool.

Let-Lab has done extensive research in this vibrant ecosystem and is proud to publish the Singapore Industry 4.0 Start-up Map 2021. This has been an attempt to map and form a list of Singaporean Industry 4.0 start-ups, accelerators, incubators, investors and other supporting organisations such as research institutes and government bodies. The full list can be found on the open database here. Please feel free to update and edit the database while following the instructions.

The methodology of constructing this map involved looking through hundreds of technology start-ups in Singapore to filter out the relevant Industry 4.0 oriented start-ups. VCs, accelerators and entrepreneurs were also contacted while making this list. Then, the list of start-ups is then sorted according to categories such as Robotics & Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Sensors, Cyber Security, Energy, AR/VR, IIOT and Additive Manufacturing. It was challenging to classify some companies as they fit into more than one of these categories.

The most common category is Industrial Automation & Robotics. As mentioned above, Singapore has a thriving manufacturing sector that is set to grow even more in the next decade. This has spurred on many start-ups focusing on solutions that would increase productivity in their manufacturing hubs or factories whilst reducing cost in the long term. One such start-up is Augmentus, a start-up that develops a no-code AI-robotics platform enabling anyone to program dynamic industrial robots in minutes.

The most second biggest group under our map is Artificial Intelligence, AI. With the emergence of usage of big data to not only automate industries but to aid them in optimizing workflows, there are large number of companies operating as an AI solutions provider across various sectors and fields. Companies like Lynx Analytics offers business intelligence while combining AI and machine learning. There are also companies that aid in the process of creating AI solutions. An example would be Bifrost AI, a start-up that provides synthetic data to computer vision teams that do not have sufficient data. They have worked on projects with prestigious organisations such as NASA and have been invested in by Techstars, among others. Other companies focus on a particular niche, such as Invigilo, a start-up that provides a video analytics platform that ensures high productivity and safety in workplaces such as construction sites.

There are several IoT start-ups in Singapore. There are start-ups which provide IoT solutions to companies, solving relevant problems they have, such as Auk Industries.

Many cybersecurity start-ups in Singapore tend to be in the FinTech industry due to the island-nation being a prominent financial hub in the region. However, there are several cybersecurity companies that focuses on cyber investigations or IoT cybersecurity systems, such as MicroSec.

The ecosystem is also extremely vibrant, with numerous supporting organizations, both private and public. The Ministry of Trade and Industry is active on the ground via multiple organisations such as EDB and Enterprise SG. We have done an article on the schemes and grants Enterprise SG offers previously that can be found here. Singapore is also a major additive manufacturing hub in the region. There are a lot of resources available for rapid prototyping and using advanced manufacturing methods for production. The National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster, NAMIC, was set-up by the Singaporean government to provide a one-stop avenue for all the additive manufacturing needs of organizations.

With such great infrastructures in place and Singapore's push for innovation and the adoption of industry 4.0 technologies, we are sure that there will be many more successful deep-tech start-ups in Singapore in the fields of Industry 4.0.

Thank you for all the contributors that added the relevant start-ups. Please add your start-up or corporate entity here.

The details for the map & this article was contributed by Akash Sakthivel, Matthew Chia and Chow Ching.