Anthropic has opened a new office in Singapore and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Digital Development and Information to cooperate on AI safety and adoption.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Anthropic has expanded its Asia-Pacific operations by opening a new office in Singapore, its fifth in the region. The company also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Singapore Ministry of Digital Development and Information on October 14, 2026.
The MOU was signed by Kai Fong Chng, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, and Anthropic co-founder Ben Mann. The signing took place on the sidelines of Singapore International Cyber Week, witnessed by Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo and Michael Sellitto, Anthropic Head of APAC Policy.
According to Anthropic, the agreement sets out areas of cooperation in AI safety, security, and model evaluation. It also covers research on AI adoption and its impact, as well as responsible adoption across public and private sectors. The company states that it plans to hold technical exchanges with Singapore’s AI safety, security, and assurance institutions regarding model evaluation, testing standards, and incident response.
Ben Mann, co-founder of Anthropic, said, "We founded Anthropic on the belief that capability and safety have to go hand in hand. With this MOU, we’ll partner with Singapore to help ensure the transition to powerful AI goes well here, across Asia-Pacific, and around the world."
Kai Fong Chng, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, stated, "Singapore’s approach to AI has always been to enable innovation while keeping pace with its evolving risks. Trust is critical for businesses, workers, and the public to use AI with confidence. This partnership with Anthropic reflects the Government’s commitment to scaling up the responsible adoption of AI, deepening capabilities in our companies and government agencies, and delivering impact for Singapore."
Anthropic notes that its work with Singapore dates back to 2023, when it joined the Generative AI Evaluation Sandbox run by the Infocomm Media Development Authority and the AI Verify Foundation. The company later partnered with these entities on a red-teaming project in English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil.
The company reports that Singapore ranks second of 121 countries in Claude.ai usage relative to its population, at nearly six times what its size alone would predict. In the public sector, more than 1,500 engineers and technical staff at the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech Singapore) have adopted Claude Code to modernize government systems. The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore is exploring how Claude could help strengthen the country’s cyber defense.
In the private sector, DBS, Southeast Asia’s largest bank, uses Claude for software development and productivity within its security framework. GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, is rolling out Claude across its investment and corporate services teams. Grab uses Claude to power BriX, its sales assistant, which the company says saves its sales teams approximately 40,000 hours every quarter. Sea, the business behind Shopee, uses Claude to help its customer service chatbot respond faster and more accurately.
To mark the opening, Anthropic hosted Builder Summit Singapore, bringing more than 300 developers together with engineering and product leaders from the company. Earlier in the week, Singapore’s Claude community ambassadors held a meetup for more than 700 local builders. The new office is currently hiring.
This move signifies Anthropic's deepening integration into the Singaporean public and private sectors. By formalizing cooperation with the government on safety and evaluation, the company aligns itself with national regulatory frameworks while expanding its market presence in a region where it claims high adoption rates relative to population size.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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