Razer opens AI Centre of Excellence at one-north in Singapore

Note: This article was written by Sarah Koh and first appeared in The Straits Times on 4 August 2025.

Home-grown gaming firm Razer plans to hire 150 engineers, data scientists and game developers equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) know-how as it embraces the use of AI in its core operations. 

The hiring, which the company plans to complete in the next one to two years, coincides with the opening of its AI Centre of Excellence at its South-east Asian headquarters in one-north on Aug 4.

The centre aims to create tools to engage gamers and help developers automate with AI – tasks that the 150 engineers, data scientists and game developers are expected to be familiar with. 

Razer will be looking to hire locals as well as people from the US and China, where many of the top AI talent reside. 

“We are working to see whether we can bring some of them here, because we need some of that to be able to build a local talent pool,” said Mr Lee Li Meng, Razer’s chief strategy officer. 

One of the tools featured at its AI Centre of Excellence is the Razer QA Companion, which provides quality assurance testing and bug detection to help developers lower production costs and accelerate the commercialisation of games. 

The tool is currently in beta testing with over 50 major game studios and independent studios, Razer said. It declined to name the studios for confidentiality reasons.

Speaking at the opening of Razer’s AI Centre of Excellence, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said such centres encourage businesses to go past using AI in peripheral activities, and to embed them in the core of their operations. 

“They are strengthening their teams, and they are embedding AI in every aspect of the way in which they deliver products and services to their customers,” said Mrs Teo. 

She added that embedding AI in business operations has been common among multinational firms, but more home-grown companies such as Razer are now coming on board. 

While gaming might not be viewed by the public as central to economic activity, tools used by the sector can be applied in other sectors, said Mrs Teo. 

“For example, before a game is published, it has to go through a process of quality assurance, (which) constitutes a big part of the cost of developing a game,” she said, adding that this is comparable with how a manufacturing line needs to look out for defects in products before delivering them to customers. 

Referring to Razer’s AI quality assurance tool that also recommends fixes, Mrs Teo said: “The more readily you are able to pick up defects, correct them or remove them from the supply chain, the better it is that your customers will be served.” 

Razer, which has headquarters in California and Singapore, said the newly launched AI Centre of Excellence is the first of three global AI hubs it is launching around the world. 

Two other centres in Europe and the US – where the bulk of game developers whom Razer works with reside – will be set up later. 

“Our goal is to empower game developers with the tools that deliver more immersive, intelligent and efficient gaming experiences at scale,” said Mr Lee. 

Testing is costly and is also a labour-intensive process that can take up about 40 per cent of the game development journey, he said, adding that its quality assurance tool aims to halve this time.

The launch of the new centre is supported by Digital Industry Singapore – a joint office by the Economic Development Board, Enterprise Singapore and Infocomm Media Development Authority. ST has contacted these agencies for more details on the support provided, and whether it includes funding.

Razer said it plans to work with AI Singapore and institutes of higher learning to provide practical training in AI and machine learning via internships and work attachments, in keeping with Singapore’s AI goals.

Singapore’s revamped national AI strategy was launched in December 2023. It aims to focus on nurturing talent, promoting a thriving AI industry, and sustaining it with world-leading infrastructure and research that ensures AI serves the public good.

In February 2024, the Government said it will invest more than $1 billion over the next five years in AI compute, talent and industry development.

Since 2024, more than 26 companies including American Express, Grab, Oracle and Prudential have set up AI centres of excellence to drive the creation of AI solutions.

Source: The Straits Times