The Business Times
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Singapore CEOs shift focus to AI returns, with ‘very low tolerance for inefficiency’: Microsoft executive

But, its still early days to see financial gains from the technology, says commercial business chief Judson Althoff

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Young Zhan Heng

Young Zhan Heng

Published Thu, Nov 5, 2026 · 12:00 PM
    • Microsoft’s Judson Althoff says that Singapore serves as not only a business hub, but also as a unique test bed for the tech giant to see how it stacks up against the competition.
    • Microsoft’s Judson Althoff says that Singapore serves as not only a business hub, but also as a unique test bed for the tech giant to see how it stacks up against the competition. PHOTO: MICROSOFT

    [SINGAPORE] Companies in Singapore may be willing to pay a premium for artificial intelligence, but their bosses have little patience for spending that does not deliver value, according to a top Microsoft executive.

    At a closed-door session with Singapore CEOs in October, one business leader asked Microsoft’s chief of commercial business Judson Althoff if he could predict how much their company would spend on AI tokens this year.

    Althoff replied that he could not, recounting the exchange during an exclusive interview with The Business Times.

    MicrosoftArtificial IntelligenceSingapore

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