Grab launches AI lab with National University of Singapore
Grab, one of the most frequently used online-to-offline mobile platforms in Southeast Asia, and the National University of Singapore (NUS) on Tuesday launched an artificial-intelligence laboratory to develop solutions to transform urban transportation and pave the way for smarter cities in the region.
The Grab-NUS AI Lab, which has been set up with a joint initial investment of 6 million Singaporean dollars (Bt147 million), is Singapore-based Grab’s first major AI laboratory and NUS’s first AI lab with a commercial partner.
Anchored at the NUS Institute of Data Science in the city-state, the Grab-NUS AI Lab will leverage data from the Grab platform to solve complex, real-world challenges in Southeast Asia.
Having facilitated more than 2 billion rides, Grab’s vast troves of data provide deeper insights into how cities across Southeast Asia move today.
By combining the data with NUS’s research expertise in the field of AI, the two partners can map out traffic patterns and identify ways to directly impact mobility and liveability of cities across Southeast Asia, Grab said.
Anthony Tan, co-founder and chief executive officer ofGrab, revealed how the insights from the Grab-NUS AI Lab could make a difference for Bangkok, starting today: “Data from our Grab platform can map out the traffic patterns and evolution in mobility for cities across Southeast Asia. For example, our data shows that travel time for Pratunam Market to Don Mueang Airport can be drastically improved today.
“If this route would be better served by more shared transport solutions, such as buses, trains, ride-sharing, we could bring travel time during peak hour down by 25 per cent all the way from 45 to 34 minutes. I look forward to working with governments to turn the data from the Grab-NUS AI Lab into solutions.”
The Grab-NUS AI Lab is located in the innovation 4.0 building situated on the NUS Kent Ridge campus, and will be home to 28 researchers working on various AI projects.
