Zoom to set up new R&D centre in Singapore, hire 'hundreds'

US tech giant Zoom Video Communications is opening a new research and development (R&D) centre in Singapore, where it will hire hundreds of key engineering staff, the firm said in a press statement on Wednesday.

Zoom, which has already had a presence in Singapore for two years, will also expand its co-located data centre in the Republic, as part of its growing strategic investment into the city-state, the firm said. This will double its data centre capacity in Singapore.

Zoom chose Singapore for its "exceptional engineering talent" and "looks forward to selecting office space as pandemic-related remote work subsides".

"Singapore is pro-business, ranks as one of the friendliest countries to set up a company, and continues to be a favourite for regional headquarters as it boasts exceptional talent, strong infrastructure, and is a perfect gateway for engaging the wider Asia-Pacific region," said Velchamy Sankarlingam, president of product and engineering for Zoom.

He added: "We plan to immediately hire employees, leveraging Singapore's highly-educated engineering talent pool. Our new R&D centre and data centre will play a critical role in Zoom's continued international growth."

Said Chng Kai Fong, managing director of the Singapore Economic Development Board: "Zoom has changed the realm of what we thought was possible. We can work from anywhere rather than a fixed location... So I am thrilled that Zoom will be partnering Singapore to set up an R&D centre to explore possibilities."