Fujitsu, A*Star, SMU invest S$54m in Singapore centre to solve urban challenges

FUJITSU, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), and the Singapore Management University (SMU) have agreed to invest S$54 million in an Urban Computing and Engineering Centre of Excellence in Singapore to address challenges faced by highly urbanised cities.

The trio inked the Master Research Collaboration Agreement (MRCA), a five-year partnership, at Fusionopolis on Wednesday.

With the world's urban population expected to grow to 70 per cent by 2050 according to Unicef, cities increasingly face problems related to high-density living, such as efficient resource usage and traffic congestion.

The centre thus aims to harness high performance computing capabilities to develop solutions for sustainable urban operations.

Its researchers will use Singapore as a "living lab" to test-bed next generation solutions for real urban issues.

One area it will focus on is developing methods to improve the dynamics of commuter traffic in large urban spaces using a new computing platform that combines research in sensing, data management and analytics, modelling and simulation, behavioural modelling and decision support.

Another area is the study of port operation optimisation and designing logistics concepts to manage inbound and outbound shipments from port to city. It aims to improve capacity without building new facilities.

Each member brings its own strengths to the table.

A*Star's Institute of High Performance Computing and Institute for Infocomm Research will contribute its Big Data capabilities.

Fujitsu will leverage its strength in Big Data analysis and high performance computing for integrating Big Data analytics and simulation. It will also tap on the research and development capabilities of Fujitsu Laboratories.

SMU said its expertise includes methods and software systems for planning, scheduling and decision-making. Some of the research projects will also include SMU graduate and doctorate students.