Committee of Supply (COS) 2026
Advancing Singapore's Economy Through Innovation
Budget 2026, themed "Securing Our Future Together in a Changed World", set out Singapore's ambition to build leadership in key growth sectors and harness AI as a strategic advantage. Building on this, COS 2026 announced plans across three fronts: establishing Singapore as a leader in priority sectors, driving economy-wide AI adoption, and accelerating the energy transition towards a low-carbon future.
To this end, Singapore will invest in R&D platforms, translational capabilities, and enabling infrastructure to create high-value jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans.
RIE Flagship in Semiconductors and NSTIC (Power Electronics)
Singapore will invest S$800 million to establish an RIE Flagship in Semiconductors, led by A*STAR and the Economic Development Board (EDB), strengthening capabilities in high-impact technology areas such as Advanced Packaging and Advanced Photonics. These technologies boost chip performance while cutting power use, which is increasingly critical as AI systems scale up. The Flagship aims to strengthen the semiconductor value chain, reinforce Singapore's role as a trusted partner for innovation, and create high-value jobs and skills for Singaporeans.
Singapore will also invest S$60 million to establish the National Semiconductor Translation and Innovation Centre for Power Electronics (NSTIC (Power Electronics)). The platform will foster industry-academia partnerships to advance Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) technologies for scalable manufacturing and commercialisation, enabling smaller and more efficient power systems for applications such as electric vehicle charging and data centre energy reduction. It will house the world's first and only open-innovation 200mm SiC R&D pilot line, supporting rapid prototyping for public and private sector users, including local SMEs and startups.
Factsheet on RIE Flagship in Semiconductors and NSTIC (Power Electronics)
Decarbonisation Grand Challenge
Singapore will invest S$800 million to launch the Decarbonisation Grand Challenge (DGC) under RIE2030, building on past efforts in low-carbon energy research to meet Singapore's net zero ambitions by 2050. The DGC will focus on areas most impactful to national decarbonisation efforts, including solar, low-carbon alternatives, energy efficiency, and Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS).
To accelerate innovation from lab to field, the DGC will support later-stage pilots and demonstrations through the Singapore Pilots for Energy & Enterprise Decarbonisation (SPEED) programme, launched through A*STAR, in collaboration with EMA and EDB. Together, these efforts will create decarbonisation solutions that are scalable and cost-effective, creating new growth opportunities in the energy sector.
Factsheet on $800M Decarbonisation RIE Grand Challenge
Scaling Biomedical R&D Translation: NATi and MedTech Catapult
Biomedical is a key growth sector for Singapore. To strengthen innovation and translation capabilities, Singapore established two R&D translational platforms under A*STAR in 2024, the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative (NATi) and MedTech Catapult, to anchor high-value R&D activities and jobs in Singapore.
Supported by its mRNA and oligonucleotide foundries, NATi has built a strong pipeline of industry collaborations, launching more than 20 projects that will train over 100 research talents. MedTech Catapult has enabled more than seven local Contract Manufacturing Organisations (CMOs) to partner with international and local product owners. For example, homegrown startup Vivo Surgical is advancing its prototype towards clinical readiness with support from MedTech Catapult, and in partnership with a local CMO.
Building on these results, both platforms will be scaled further under RIE2030 to deepen Singapore's biomedical innovation ecosystem and create more opportunities for Singaporeans.
Find out more about NATi and MedTech Catapult.
Advanced Manufacturing AI Mission
Singapore's ambition is to become an AI leader with an AI-empowered economy. A key pillar of this strategy is developing focused AI Missions in priority sectors, with Advanced Manufacturing among the first.
The Advanced Manufacturing AI Mission is anchored around three thrusts: transforming manufacturing facilities into best-in-class operations, enabling new products and capabilities, and driving broad-based sectoral transformation.
To power this transformation, Singapore will scale A*STAR's Sectoral AI Centre of Excellence in Manufacturing (AIMfg). Since its launch, AIMfg has supported firms in adopting and creating AI-enabled solutions. Moving ahead, AIMfg will drive deeper AI transformation across more firms, redesigning workflows, building proprietary applications, and integrating AI into their core operations.
Find out more about AIMfg.
