Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) has launched an AI Nexus Lab to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adopt artificial intelligence (AI) while giving students hands-on experience working on real business problems.
The AI Nexus Lab aims to lower barriers to digitalisation for SMEs while giving learners hands-on exposure to applied AI development. Real-world projects incubated through the lab will be built on Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) cloud infrastructure, allowing students to work directly on company use cases rather than simulations.
Through AI and design-thinking workshops, NYP works with businesses to identify specific problems that reflect real operational challenges. Students then collaborate closely with business owners to develop proofs-of-concept, using AWS services to build applications that can be scaled.
“AI may seem daunting to organisations who do not know where to start. The AI Nexus Lab serves as a one-stop solution bridging education and innovation, helping SMEs embrace AI with confidence,” says Phua Chee Teck, NYP’s deputy principal for sustainability and technology.
Annually, more than 1,000 students from Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Information Technology are expected to benefit from the initiative through the integration of Amazon Web Services’ AI and machine-learning tools into their curriculum.
Over the next five years, the polytechnic aims to reach 500 SMEs through pathways including generative AI training workshops.
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In a pilot with the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI), 64 use cases from its SME network have already been identified for prototype development. NYP is also working with other SME and trade associations to expand the pipeline of business problem statements, extending AI adoption across industries while developing graduates ready to lead digital transformation.
Student-built minimum viable products that SMEs choose to take into production will receive support through the AWS AI Springboard initiative, which provides cloud credits and training, as well as the AWS Partner Network, which offers technical expertise and scaling capabilities.
One project addressed the challenge of digitising physical product catalogues. Second-year information technology student Teo Yu Xiang developed an optical character recognition and data analytics system that converts printed text into searchable digital data. The system enables staff at motorcycle spare-parts retailer Auto Machinery Singapore to locate parts by typing keywords instead of manually searching physical catalogues.
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The project, facilitated through SCCCI, has since evolved into AM Digiparts, a start-up co-founded by Teo and Auto Machinery Singapore which is now running pilot programmes with motorcycle repair shops in Singapore.
“The solution has delivered productivity gains of over 16% and saves us approximately 180 man-hours monthly by eliminating tedious manual searches. We’re now expanding our digital ecosystem to include established partners across the local motorcycle industry,” says Danny Hoe, director of Auto Machinery Singapore.
SMEs working with the AI Nexus Lab can also access subsidies of up to 90% through SkillsFuture Singapore’s Mentorship Support Grant to accelerate projects from pilot stage to full-scale implementation.
“Upskilling and exposure to AI should start from the earliest ages. When students can build, iterate and ultimately create solutions that transform actual businesses, that’s when true learning happens,” says Elsie Tan, AWS’s Singapore country manager for worldwide public sector.
