With more new users coming online in Asia than anywhere else in the world, Singapore is an important gateway to the region, which already has half of the world’s current internet users. That is why Google has set up an engineering team to get closer to the next billion users coming online and to develop products that will work for them, leveraging the cultural diversity in the region to drive product innovation for users globally. This Singapore-based team is part of the 1,000 or so professionals that Google has hired since it started operations here in 2007 with just 24 people. Most of Google’s senior management overseeing Asia-Pacific operations are based here.
Singapore is also one of just two Asian cities hosting a Google data centre, allowing Google to ensure that internet users in Asia have the fastest and most reliable access to its services. The facility is also one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly in Asia.
Google has sought to contribute to Singapore’s efforts to foster the next generation of digital leaders in Singapore. Working with global training providers and local government agencies, Google has committed to train 1,000 executives in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to be digital marketing leaders by 2019, through its Squared Online for SMEs programme. Since 2015, Google’s Go Global programme has also helped more than 1,000 SMEs in Singapore increase their global presence and exports through a series of free workshops and masterclasses.
In 2017, the company rolled out a multi-year programme, Code in the Community, to provide coding classes for Singaporean kids from less well-to-do backgrounds, inspiring them to consider a career in technology.
