ARC Singapore launches with chapters set for four ASEAN markets

- First-of-its-kind apex industry body for AI, robotics and cybersecurity, set up to build capability and scale collaboration in secure automation.
- MoUs signed for ARC chapters to be established in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, as a first step towards a regional network and stronger cross-border standards. 

SINGAPORE, Oct. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore runs one of the world's most robot-dense manufacturing sectors, with AI increasingly embedded into critical infrastructure and operations. To build the industry capability and collaboration that securing them requires, AI, Robotics & Cybersecurity Singapore (ARC Singapore) was officially launched today.

The launch took place at the invitation-only preview of VXA, a Singapore-based platform created by Eleotri to bring the converging fields of AI, robotics and cybersecurity into one conversation. ARC Singapore co-organised the preview, ahead of VXA's inaugural edition in 2027. Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information, attended as Distinguished Guest, alongside senior government officials, enterprise CXOs and technology leaders from across Asia Pacific.

ARC Singapore also signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with country chapter leads to establish ARC chapters in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. The signing was witnessed by His Excellency Dr Hotmangaradja Pandjaitan, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Singapore, and His Excellency Mr Tran Phuoc Anh, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Singapore.

The MoUs further ARC Singapore's ambition to grow a regional network, in recognition that AI risks and vulnerabilities cross borders and require a concerted response.

The integration challenge

ARC Singapore is founded on the simple premise that AI, robotics and cybersecurity can no longer be treated as three separate industries. As the first industry body in Singapore to bring all three under one umbrella, it represents the full value chain: AI innovators, robotics solution providers, cybersecurity firms, academic researchers and enterprise end-users, from start-ups to multinationals.

"The next AI revolution will not only be digital. It will be physical. As AI is built into machines, plants, ports, hospitals and power systems, the system that decides, the machine that acts and the network that can be attacked have become one commingled challenge, and you cannot secure one without understanding the other two. That is the gap ARC Singapore exists to close," said Mr Chia Hock Lai, Co-Chairman of ARC Singapore.

For highly automated economies such as Singapore, which has the world's second-highest density of industrial robots in manufacturing,^[1] the convergence is especially consequential.

Securing industrial and infrastructure systems is both a commercial priority and a matter of national resilience.

Mr Ivan Khua, Co-Chairman of ARC Singapore, said: "As organisations weigh security risks against the returns from AI deployment, how well we integrate AI, robotics and cybersecurity will be critical to giving businesses the confidence to scale. Singapore has an opportunity to help guide this transformation by making trusted deployment a competitive advantage, positioning itself as a locus of innovation and growth for the region and beyond."

Four areas of focus

ARC Singapore's work will centre on:

• Policy advocacy: giving industry a constructive voice into frameworks being developed in Singapore and ASEAN, starting with Singapore's agentic AI frameworks and the ASEAN digital economy agenda.
• Cross-sector collaboration: bringing AI, robotics and security practitioners together before deployment rather than after an incident. In its first year, ARC Singapore will establish working groups, including one on an AI Risk Framework, each co-led by a solution provider and an enterprise end-user.
• Digital trust standards: developing practical, interoperable standards for secure automation, including a digital trust baseline that buyers can reference in procurement.
• Talent: working with institutes of higher learning, training providers and SkillsFuture to build cross-disciplinary skills and help SMEs adopt these technologies safely.

ARC Singapore Scholarship

In partnership with member Kingston International College, ARC Singapore is launching the ARC Singapore Scholarship. It will support Singaporeans training in AI, robotics and cybersecurity, with a pathway into roles at member organisations.

Through these initiatives, ARC Singapore aims to help develop Singapore into a global hub for secure automation, built by Singaporean talent.

About ARC Singapore

AI, Robotics & Cybersecurity Singapore (ARC Singapore) is the apex industry body representing the AI, robotics and cybersecurity sectors in Singapore. It champions the commercial interests of its members through policy advocacy, cross-sector collaboration and the development of digital trust standards, positioning Singapore as a leader in secure automation. For more information,visit arcsingapore.org.

PR Newswire is the Official Press Release Distribution Partner of ARC Singapore.

 

source: ARC Singapore