Singapore will launch its first large-scale public robotics testbed in Punggol Digital District (PDD), where robots from multiple operators will be tested across deliveries, cleaning and security patrols in a mixed-use urban area.
The testbed, due later in 2026, will bring together the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), JTC, the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and eight industry partners. It is designed to support several robot services at the same site, instead of trials run separately by individual operators.
Certis, DHL, Grab and QuikBot will be among the first companies involved. They will co-design, deploy and validate services covering food and parcel delivery, cleaning and security patrols. The robots are intended to support existing frontline work, including keeping some services running beyond office hours, covering hard-to-reach areas and allowing cleaning to be done more often.
The project will also test how autonomous mobile robots should operate on shared public paths. Robots used in the district must meet safety standards and defined operating parameters. A precinct-level exemption framework under the Active Mobility Act will allow operators to trial different uses within PDD without seeking a separate Land Transport Authority exemption for each one, subject to safeguards and conditions.
"Trust, safety, and governance must be built in from the start, not added as an afterthought," says Alan Ng, founder and CEO of QuikBot Technologies. PDD would allow the company to operate at a greater scale alongside robots from multiple providers across delivery, cleaning and security, he adds. "The complexity involved is real, and so is the opportunity."
Besides that, SIT will work with IMDA and JTC on common operating rules and the digital infrastructure needed for robot deployment in live environments. Its Centre for Intelligent Robotics will support applied research, training and industry collaborations tied to the precinct.
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IMDA and the National Robotics Programme will work with FieldAI and Thoughtworks, alongside Slamtec, Unitree and QuikBot, on embodied AI use cases. SIT's joint labs with Unitree, Slamtec and QuikBot will focus on robot cognitive capabilities, spatial perception and humanoid robot parcel sorting for logistics.
Separately, Nvidia is launching an AI research lab in Singapore focused on embodied AI and efficient AI computing, working with university researchers, industry partners and government agencies. The lab will be Nvidia's Singapore hub and its second research presence in Asia Pacific.
The lab will focus on areas with potential manufacturing applications. Embodied AI enables systems to perceive, reason and act in the physical world, while efficient AI computing looks at lowering compute costs, improving energy efficiency and supporting wider deployment.
