The Business Times
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Singapore’s manufacturing needs more than an AI updraft

The current boom is real but narrow. The industry must turn the cyclical windfall into structural capability

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    • The perception that manufacturing is dirty, backward work is decades out of date. The sector now sits at the front line of AI, robotics, automation and data analytics.
    • The perception that manufacturing is dirty, backward work is decades out of date. The sector now sits at the front line of AI, robotics, automation and data analytics. PHOTO: BT FILE

    Lennon Tan

    Published Tue, Sep 1, 2026 · 01:00 PM

    SUSTAINED global artificial intelligence demand pushed the electronics cluster to output growth of 21.3 per cent year on year in June.

    A weighted 24 per cent of manufacturers expect better conditions in the second half, and the 2026 manufacturing growth forecast has been lifted to around 9 per cent after industrial production averaged 9.9 per cent growth in the first half.

    The numbers suggest this is one of the strongest years the sector has had in a decade.

    Singapore manufacturingElectronics manufacturingArtificial IntelligenceSingapore

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