Razer to hire 150 people for new Singapore AI centre of excellence

[SINGAPORE] Gaming company Razer is seeking to fill 150 artificial intelligence (AI)-related roles to work at its new AI Center of Excellence, it announced on Monday (Aug 4).

These employees – known as AI specialists – will be hired from different disciplines such as data science, engineering and game development, Razer said in a press release.

The Center of Excellence will be located within Razer’s South-east Asia headquarters at one-north.

But Razer is on the hunt for more than just people with technical skills. Chief strategy officer Lee Li Meng said that the “number one fundamental thing” the company is looking for when hiring is to ensure that these applicants play video games.

He noted that having experiences and opinions about the gaming industry will be beneficial in the development of Razer’s products and services.

He added that the company is keen to hire both fresh graduates and those with work experience.

Why Singapore got the nod

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the launch event, Razer’s co-founder and chief executive officer Tan Min-Liang said that one reason why Singapore was chosen as the location of its first centre of excellence was due to the country’s available pool of talent.

Razer will work with AI Singapore and institutions of higher learning through initiatives such as the AI Apprenticeship programme and its industry-focused track, the company said in the press release.

Singapore was also favoured as it is where one of the company’s headquarters is located, said Tan. The other one is situated in Irvine, California in the US.

He did not disclose the investment amount to set up the new centre.

As part of a broader plan to establish interconnected AI hubs, Razer said in its release that the Singapore facility “sets the foundation” for future centres in Europe and the US, which will expand Razer’s “global reach and collaborative potential”.

Lee did not give a specific opening date or location of these future Centers of Excellence.

He added that the ecosystem, government support and partners are key considerations on whether a location is suitable for opening such a centre.

Beyond the gaming industry

At a separate media interview, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said that the gaming industry is a crucial driver of the broadly applicable AI technologies.

She cited graphics processing units (GPUs) as an example, noting that despite being initially developed for gaming, GPUs are now used for powering AI.

Another example she mentioned was the quality assurance process of video games, which is also applicable in the manufacturing industry. Video games quality assurance is the process where flaws, or “bugs”, are identified and rectified prior to the official release of the game.

Teo emphasised that the opening of Centers of Excellence fits in with Singapore’s national strategy, with the government keen to ensure AI can be used across different types of companies of various sizes, across many industries and sectors.

“We want them to use AI intensively, embed it into the core of their businesses,” Teo said.