SIT Centre for Intelligent Robotics

The Centre for Intelligent Robotics is a new Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) centre at Punggol Digital District (PDD), identified by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) as a platform for developing and trialling embodied-AI use cases. It sits within a broader government-industry collaboration involving IMDA, JTC, SIT and the National Robotics Programme, announced on 20 May 2026 (IMDA, Research, Test and Deploy Physical AI).

Research and trial role

The centre provides a university-based setting for robotics companies and knowledge partners to develop and trial embodied-AI use cases. IMDA names FieldAI and Thoughtworks as knowledge partners and Slamtec, Unitree and QuikBot as robotics companies involved in developing and trialling use cases through SIT's centre. The published announcement does not establish a complete project list, a universal laboratory-access entitlement or completed commercial deployment (IMDA, Research, Test and Deploy Physical AI).

Relationship to the PDD robotics testbed

The centre is connected to, but not identical with, the PDD living testbed for autonomous robots. IMDA describes the testbed as a real-world mixed-use public-area environment where robots and AI systems can be continuously tested and refined; it is intended to launch later in 2026. The testbed also involves eight leading industry players and a precinct-level exemption framework under the Active Mobility Act, subject to safety standards and operational conditions (IMDA, PDD physical-AI factsheet).

Boundaries with other AI centres

The SIT centre is an applied research and trial platform, not a regulator, statutory board, public grant scheme or general-purpose robotics operator. It should be distinguished from NVIDIA's Singapore Research Lab, which focuses on embodied and efficient AI research, and from the Singtel–NVIDIA Centre of Excellence for Applied AI, a separate private infrastructure and applied-deployment partnership. The centre's participation in national robotics collaborations does not make every robotics company eligible for a trial or guarantee approval, procurement or commercial success (IMDA, Accelerate Real-World Deployment; NVIDIA Singapore Research Lab; Singtel–NVIDIA Centre of Excellence for Applied AI).