In the rhythm of a city that builds its future as much by ideas as by concrete, there are spaces where ambition gathers quietly, like seeds ready to sprout. In Singapore, Lorong AI—a collaborative hub where thinkers, innovators, and curious minds meet—has become such a place. More than just an office or classroom, it is emerging as a blueprint for a larger vision: a dedicated AI park at one-north, where the promise of artificial intelligence might find both roots and wings.
Founded in January 2025, Lorong AI began as a modest space tucked within a co-working building in Chinatown. Its purpose, from the outset, was community rather than commerce—where practitioners from industry, research, and government could gather to share ideas, learn new skills, and deepen their understanding of AI tools and techniques. In a city where collaboration often underpins innovation, it has become a meeting ground for those eager to shape the technology’s trajectory.
For some, like fitness coach-turned-entrepreneur Mabel Loh, Lorong AI has been a learning ground and an incubator of possibility. Attending more than 30 classes, she has explored how AI might help design personalized wellness apps, even without a formal technical background. Her story reflects the hub’s wider appeal—not just to seasoned engineers but to the “AI-curious,” eager to understand how intelligent tools can serve real human needs.
The hub’s activities vary by day: from hands-on workshops that demystify complex tools to open discussions that invite deeper engagement with topics such as model biases and data representation. Importantly, these events are intended not as lectures from a pedestal but as invitations to converge—so that ideas can be tested, reshaped, and improved in dialogue. The space also hosts practitioners from government agencies, creating opportunities for public-sector innovation to meet private enterprise ingenuity.
Within months of its opening, Lorong AI attracted thousands of participants and fostered connections that transcended its physical walls. Start-ups like Featherless.ai, which operates a repository of thousands of AI models, chose to co-locate with the hub, leveraging proximity to network and build partnerships. Such developments hint at Lorong AI’s role as more than a learning space—acting instead as a catalyst for ecosystem growth.
It is this spirit of collaboration that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong highlighted when, during Singapore’s recent Budget 2026 announcement, he unveiled plans for a new AI park in one-north. Building on the Lorong AI initiative, the AI park aims to bring together founders, researchers, innovators, and businesses to co-create practical solutions and scale AI innovations. This move reflects a broader national ambition to strengthen Singapore’s position at the forefront of global AI development.
One-north, already known as a vibrant tech and research district, provides fertile ground for such growth. Analysts suggest that Singapore’s AI push—spanning tax incentives, workforce skilling, and ecosystem development—will boost demand for specialized business parks and attract international talent and investment to the area. The envisioned AI park is expected to act as a connective tissue between research, industry, and commercialization.
Lorong AI’s transition toward a more expansive presence, with a second location set to launch in one-north, underscores the momentum behind this strategy. Yet even as plans unfold, the core ethos remains the same: creating spaces where minds meet, questions are welcome, and innovation grows from community insight as much as technical prowess.
Singapore’s journey into AI represents not just infrastructure and investment, but a cultivated culture of collaboration—where people at all stages of understanding can explore, experiment, and contribute. As the blueprint for the one-north AI park solidifies, the hope is that this balance of curiosity, expertise, and shared purpose will help shape a future where technology serves both enterprise and society.
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Sources: The Straits Times The Business Times Computer Weekly Budget 2026 coverage SBR (Singapore Business Review)
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