Global tech companies that have contributed to Singapore’s development
HWZ SG60 Tech Special: The Internationals
HardwareZone celebrates Singapore’s 60th birthday with a series of articles showcasing local tech brands that have helped build our nation and put us on the world stage. In this final part of the series, we focus our lens further and acknowledge the international brands that may not have had their start in Singapore, but have been no less impactful in our nation’s history of technological innovation and progress.
(This article is one of 7 parts in our SG60 Tech Special series.)
1. Apple
Apple CEO Tim Cook visits the first Apple Developer Center in Southeast Asia. He meets Singaporean Swift Student Challenge Winner Jiang Tongyu, and gives Tongyu’s rhythm game, Tambourine Story, a spin. April 2024.
From a small circuit-board factory in Ang Mo Kio to a regional campus and iconic flagship stores, Apple’s 40-year journey in Singapore charts the evolution of both a tech giant and a nation built on innovation.
In 2021, Apple celebrated “40 years of innovation, education and progress,” highlighting its 3,500 staff and over 55,000 ecosystem jobs. A 2024 campus expansion further cemented Singapore’s strategic importance in the Asia-Pacific.
Initially focused on manufacturing Apple II boards, Apple shifted to R&D, services, software, and ecosystem enablement as Singapore developed. By 2021, its operations hosted over 50 nationalities, supporting local developers like Mighty Bear Games, reflecting Singapore’s tech hub ambitions.
Apple’s retail presence includes flagship stores like Apple Orchard Road (2017) and Apple Marina Bay Sands (2020). These stores are not just sales outlets but community hubs for “Today at Apple” sessions and creative workshops, signifying a deeper investment beyond commerce.
Beyond business, Apple collaborates with local schools on iPad-based teaching and Swift coding. In sustainability, Apple was Singapore’s first company powered entirely by renewable energy (2015), using solar panels on 800+ rooftops. New campuses and stores aim for LEED Gold certification and 100% renewable energy.
The 2024 US$250 million campus expansion in Ang Mo Kio will consolidate buildings, support AI, hardware-software integration, and services, making Singapore a critical hub for Apple’s Asia-Pacific strategy. This expansion builds on 40 years of partnership, seeing Singapore as an innovation, education, jobs, and community partner.
For Singapore, Apple’s presence signifies high-value activities: early manufacturing and R&D, regional operations and ecosystem jobs, and future advanced campus functions, AI, services, and sustainability. The flagship stores serve as public interfaces for this journey. Singapore’s talent, stability, infrastructure, and sustainability focus align with Apple’s global priorities.
2. Dyson
Professor Chong Tow Chong of SUTD and Sir James Dyson at the opening of the Dyson-SUTD Innovation Studios, 25th November 2022.
Dyson’s global headquarters in Singapore, located at the old St James Power Station, has almost doubled its headcount to 2,000, with nearly half being engineers and scientists. Singapore’s skilled workforce, strong in hardware and software, enables Dyson to explore new technologies like robotics, AI, and high-speed electric motors. The company has invested in Singapore’s future by hiring over 150 recent graduates, fostering innovation.
Teams in Singapore develop and manufacture Dyson Hyperdymium motors for global products. The X020, the pioneering generation of these motors, was developed here in 1999 due to James Dyson’s dissatisfaction with existing motor technology. Manufacturing began in 2004, and Dyson continues to develop these core technologies in Singapore.
In 2012, Dyson opened its Singapore Advanced Manufacturing (SAM) centre to develop next-generation motor technologies. SAM has since expanded from two to eight production lines, with 300 autonomous robots producing a Dyson motor every 2.6 seconds. To date, Dyson has produced approximately 100 million motors in Singapore.
The James Dyson Foundation, Dyson’s charity arm, is also heavily invested in Singapore’s design, engineering and STEM education through collaborations with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and local tertiary institutions such as the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
3. GlobalFoundries
The WEF recently designated GlobalFoundries’ 300mm fab in Singapore as part of the Global Lighthouse Network of advanced manufacturers.
GlobalFoundries (GF), a 2009 AMD spin-off, acquired Chartered Semiconductor in Singapore, later selling one of its five fabs there by 2019, retaining 200mm and 300mm processes. In 2023, GF opened a S$5 billion expansion fab in Singapore, creating 1,000 jobs, 95% technical. This 23,000sqm facility will boost Singapore’s annual wafer capacity to 1.5 million (300mm equivalent) at full production.
Tan Yew Kong, SVP and GM, APAC Manufacturing and Singapore site, GlobalFoundries, highlights Singapore’s critical role in GF’s global supply chain flexibility and security. With manufacturing sites across Asia, the U.S., and Europe, GF ensures the timely delivery of semiconductor chips.
GF Singapore spearheads Industry 4.0 solutions like AI, Machine Learning, and generative AI for wafer defect recognition and predictive tool maintenance, reducing human hours and maximizing efficiency. These solutions are scalable across GF sites, modernising jobs and attracting younger talent.
Another Singapore-developed highlight is the Factory Control Tower (FCT), a virtual system monitoring global production processes, performance, and tool uptime, providing 24/7 remote support.
4. Google
Ben King, Managing Director, Google Singapore at the Safer with Google 2025 event.
Since 2007, Google Singapore has expanded from 24 to over 3,000 employees, establishing an engineering team in 2016, reflecting Singapore’s tech innovation hub role. Google localises products for Singaporean culture.
In 2009, Singapore became the first country with public transport and real-time traffic on Google Maps, and Google Street View arrived, later documenting hawker centres and offering AR experiences with the Singapore Tourism Board. In 2016, Google introduced Android Pay, making Singapore the first in Asia to offer mobile payments, followed by Google Pay. In 2020, Singapore became the first in Southeast Asia to offer the new all-in-one Google Pay.
Google’s first Singapore data centre opened in 2013, the first in Southeast Asia. Now with four facilities, Google’s total investment is US$5 billion, delivering AI benefits. Launched in 2020, Skills Ignition SG, a joint program with the Singapore government, and Google Career Certificates help jobseekers develop digital skills, with 13,000 scholarships extended to 29 organizations.
5. HP
HP Chief Commercial Officer Mr Dave McQuarrie speaking at the tech company's Singapore office during the launch of Garage 2.0, an initiative by HP to support AI start-ups, Oct 6, 2025.
HP, celebrating its 55th anniversary in Singapore in 2025, began operations in 1969 with a regional office and opened its first factory in 1970 for computer core memories. A 1975 factory produced calculators, semiconductors, and magnetics.
In 2017, HP’s Ink Supplies Operations established the Smart Manufacturing Applications and Research Centre (SMARC) in Singapore.
In 2022, HP partnered with SkillsFuture Singapore as a SkillsFuture Queen Bee to enhance sustainable manufacturing and procurement skills in the industry. Collaborating with the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), HP launched 15 new courses. HP mentors local SMEs, assisting with business transformation and Proof-of-Concept creation, fostering community innovation. To date, as a SkillsFuture Queen Bee, HP has supported over 55 enterprises and 800 learners, developing talent for Singapore’s resilient workforce.
6. Infineon Technologies
File Photo: The Infineon Technologies building in Kallang, 1 Dec 2020.
Established in Singapore since 1970, its IC Design Centre, opened in the early 1990s, now employs over 300 research scientists and engineers, and 200 IC designers. In 2005, Infineon opened its Asia Pacific Headquarters in Kallang, employing approximately 2,350 staff.
Key initiatives driven from Singapore include: transforming production through advanced manufacturing and up-skilling workers since 2011; fostering a vibrant local ecosystem via the Infineon Co-Innovation Program and its first Co-Innovation Space for start-ups; and transforming work processes by incorporating AI into all functions, especially non-manufacturing, since 2020.
Infineon aims for productivity gains in backend manufacturing, bucking the trend of shifting labour-intensive work to low-cost areas. By challenging and up-skilling its workforce, Singapore has become a hub for advanced manufacturing innovations scaled globally.
Infineon also seeks new use cases in a dynamic market. Its co-innovation program helps start-ups achieve quicker time to market, enhanced performance, and reduced costs and size using Infineon’s semiconductor solutions. Start-ups benefit from Infineon’s global resources, network, and product ramp-up experience.
Infineon has broadened its AI and ML application to include supply chain, finance, and HR, focusing on digital transformation and data-driven decision-making using AI and Gen AI.
7. Seagate
File Photo: Mr Lim Hng Kiang, former Minister for Trade and Industry, speaking at the opening of The Shugart, Seagate’s S$100 million design centre in one-north on 19 June 2015.
Seagate established its first Singapore plant in 1982, initiating a lasting partnership. This expanded to include a hard disk assembly plant in 1983 and a recording media manufacturing plant in 1996, with Singapore becoming its sole media manufacturing location.
Seagate’s Woodlands facility leads in integrating AI and machine learning into product development, boasting 144 global AI solutions. Its R&D team has grown significantly since 1984, driving innovations like the first affordable hard disk drive and the world’s thinnest 5mm 500GB hard disk drive. Singapore remains crucial for technological advancement, especially with Seagate’s Mozaic 3+ platform utilizing HAMR technology.
Seagate’s initiatives align with Singapore’s knowledge-based economy goals, supporting STEM education through programs like the Seagate Bursary Programme and contributing to talent development. Singapore’s strategic location, skilled workforce, strong infrastructure, and commitment to innovation make it ideal for Seagate’s R&D and manufacturing.
8. Sony
File Photo: Science Centre Singapore chief executive Associate Professor Lim Tit Meng, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, Sony Electronics Asia Pacific managing director Takakiyo Fujita and SCSA2022 Committee chairman Dr Fannon Lim with Raffles Girls' Primary School pupil Abbie Yuhan Milner and her invention Abadu, while touring exhibition booths at the Sony Creative Science Award presentation held at the Science Centre, 8 Nov 2022.
Sony, present in Singapore since 1973, established the Sony Precision Engineering Centre (SPEC) in 1987 to manufacture optical pickups. Later that year, Sony International (Singapore) Ltd. (SONIS), founded in 1982, became the regional headquarters. Today, Sony’s Singaporean operations span electronics, gaming, and entertainment.
Key initiatives developed in Singapore include the Sony Creative Science Award (SCSA) and the Sony Bravia 8 smart TV.
Since 1998, SCSA has aimed to foster scientific interest and creativity among primary school students through toy-making competitions and workshops. Co-organized by Science Centre Singapore and Sony, with Ministry of Education support, SCSA has seen over 114,000 students submit 90,000 toys, making it Singapore’s largest such competition. The 2024 SCSA attracted nearly 5,000 students from 85 schools.
SCSA promotes hands-on learning and inspires scientific exploration. Takakiyo Fujita, Managing Director, Sony Electronics (Singapore), expressed pride in empowering the next generation through SCSA.
The 2024 BRAVIA 8, designed by Sony Design Center Asia in Singapore, in collaboration with the Malaysian R&D team, features an OLED display and a “Harmonic Presence” design. Its adaptable stand seamlessly integrates with Sony Home Audio products. Singapore’s diverse market and modern lifestyle trends make it an ideal hub for home entertainment development. The Sony Design Center Asia has also contributed to the design of various other Sony products.