NCS has opened an AI Mission Centre in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore, as part of its efforts to help organisations move artificial intelligence projects from initial testing to large-scale deployment. The company also plans to increase its workforce of AI engineers embedded with client teams from 100 to more than 300 over the next two years.
The centre was launched on October 29, 2026. NCS, an information technology and communications engineering firm owned by Singtel, said the expansion will involve reskilling existing employees as well as recruiting new staff.
The engineers, known as forward-deployed engineers, work directly with client teams to understand business requirements, develop AI solutions and support their implementation. NCS CEO Sam Liew said the specialists would work with customers to co-create solutions that organisations could eventually own and operate themselves.
He said the engineers would understand clients’ business domains, identify problems and develop AI-based solutions to improve core business processes. Liew also pointed to challenges such as legacy systems and inconsistent data that can make AI adoption difficult for some companies.
Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information, Josephine Teo, attended the launch. She said the country needed to build on its existing strengths in AI and focus on turning strategies into practical outcomes. She highlighted infrastructure, enterprise capabilities, skilled workers and supportive government policies as important elements in advancing AI adoption.
Alongside the launch, NCS announced three Memorandums of Understanding with Changi Airport Group, the Institute of Mental Health and Life3 Biotech to develop and scale AI-driven solutions.
Under the agreement with Changi Airport Group, NCS will enhance and expand iFerret, an AI-powered runway surveillance system designed to detect foreign object debris. NCS chief AI officer Edward Chen said the system can identify debris as small as 4cm along a runway of about 4km. The technology has also been deployed in the Middle East and Hong Kong.
The collaboration with the Institute of Mental Health will involve an AI-powered facial recognition system intended to strengthen patient identification and support safety awareness in inpatient care settings. Chen said the trial has involved 180 patients across four wards. Under the agreement, the system will be expanded to all 50 wards and to psychiatric wards in other hospitals.
The third partnership is with Life3 Biotech. The agreements are aimed at developing and scaling AI applications across transport, healthcare and biotechnology-related operations.
