Turning AI Talk into Action – ASME and ITE Launch AI Centre of Excellence (SME@AiTE) to Provide Free Community AI Resources SMEs

The Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (ASME) and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) have officially launched an AI Centre of Excellence, named SME@AiTE. This marks a significant milestone in Singapore’s drive to help SMEs leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for business growth. The launch event, graced by Senior Minister of State Dr Janil Puthucheary, reinforces the importance of initiatives that bridge AI innovation and SME growth.

A Hub for AI Innovation and Adoption

Established through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed at ASME’s AI Festival Asia on 17 January 2025, SME@AiTE is a joint initiative designed to provide SMEs with access to AI resources, knowledge, and implementation strategies. The centre, housed within ITE College Central, will host free downloadable AI resources and hands-on workshops, helping SMEs understand and experiment with integrating AI technology into their business operations in a risk-free environment.

This initiative is part of ASME’s broader commitment to shaping AI policies and driving tangible change for SMEs. Following the success of AI Festival Asia, ASME has been actively identifying gaps and advocating solutions in AI adoption to help SME build up their capabilities and enterprise value. The launch of the AI Centre of Excellence is a key milestone in this journey, ensuring that small and micro businesses have the tools they need to thrive in the AI-driven economy.

Mr Ang Yuit, President of ASME, highlighted the transformative impact of AI on SMEs: “AI has empowered SMEs in our neighbouring countries with the potential to produce output that can rival the quality of work from Singapore’s skilled workforce. It’s not just copywriters and graphic design that will be disrupted, but data analysis, financial modelling, legal advice, software engineering etc that will be affected. Therefore, SMEs in Singapore have to embrace AI technology in an even deeper fashion to keep pace with global innovation. SME@AiTE bridges the gap for SMEs by providing a risk-free environment for SMEs to try out AI solutions through free community resources and hands-on workshops, understanding AI applications in their business segments before embarking deeper on their customised AI adoption journeys. We are excited to partner with ITE to create an ecosystem where SMEs can confidently experiment, adopt, and customise AI innovations.”

Empowering SMEs with AI Resources and Training

SME@AiTE will offer complimentary, sector-specific AI workshops tailored to industries such as F&B, HR, Accounting, Retail, Engineering, and Logistics. These hands-on sessions will enable SMEs to experiment with Generative AI (GenAI) solutions, explore practical applications, and simulate real-world business integration.

To further support AI adoption, SMEs will have access to free proprietary GenAI workflows and distilled models, allowing them to seamlessly incorporate AI into their operations. In addition, business advisors will be available to guide SMEs through relevant government support programmes, such as IMDA’s GenAI Digital Sandbox and SSG’s AI training courses, ensuring they receive the necessary assistance to take full advantage of AI solutions.

Collaboration for Future Growth

Beyond training and resources, SME@AiTE will function as a key data collection point. By gathering insights from SMEs on real-world use cases and challenges, the centre will be better able to help shape future AI initiatives and policies.

In addition to empowering SMEs, the centre will also serve as a platform for youth employability, providing ITE students with hands-on exposure to AI-driven business solutions through internships and industrial attachments. By engaging with SMEs on real-world AI projects, students will gain invaluable experience and enhance their career prospects in the AI and digital sectors and eventually become very competent and impactful AI users.

Ms. Low Khah Gek, CEO, ITE, said, “The launch of the AI Centre of Excellence reflects ITE's commitment to empower and enable our SMEs. By providing accessible AI resources and hands-on training, we support SMEs in enhancing their workforce capabilities. Conversely, the SMEs partner ITE to prepare our students with work-ready and future-ready skills. This ITE-ASME collaboration will create an ecosystem where innovation thrives.”

With this initiative, ASME and ITE reaffirm their commitment to fostering an AI-ready SME community, empowering businesses to navigate the digital economy with confidence and capability.