ABEJA establishes Singapore subsidiary to drive AI expansion across ASEAN

The Japanese AI company will use Singapore as its regional hub as it expands its agentic AI and physical AI capabilities across ASEAN and other Global South markets.

Japanese AI company ABEJA has announced plans to establish a wholly owned subsidiary in Singapore as part of its global expansion strategy.

The company’s Board of Directors resolved at a meeting on 26 August 2026 to establish ABEJA GLOBAL Pte. Ltd. (tentative) in Singapore.

The new company will support ABEJA’s business development across the ASEAN region, starting from Singapore, while bringing the company’s expertise in AI implementation for mission-critical operations in Japan to overseas markets.

The move comes as ABEJA looks to expand its business beyond Japan and respond to growing demand for AI implementation, particularly as organisations place greater focus on data safety, governance, and regulatory requirements.

ABEJA looks to expand AI implementation across ASEAN

ABEJA operates an Enterprise Platform Business centred on its ABEJA Platform, which is designed to support customers in implementing AI in real-world operations and continuously advancing its use. The platform integrates data, decision-making and operations, combining decision-making through agentic AI with execution through physical AI.

The platform is also said to be built around a "Human in the Loop" approach, where humans and AI work together throughout the implementation process. According to ABEJA, this allows organisations to introduce AI directly into business processes and continue improving its capabilities, including in highly mission-critical operations.

In ASEAN, ABEJA said AI adoption is expanding alongside efforts to promote responsible and secure AI implementation and greater consistency across the region.

Singapore's position as a trusted and open "Global AI Hub" was also highlighted as a factor behind the company's decision, with the company saying the country provides a business environment and networks that can support collaboration between enterprises and research institutions from different countries, making it a suitable base for its wider ASEAN expansion.

The company also sees growing importance in AI governance, particularly around data sovereignty, and the need for AI systems to comply with local legal and security requirements.

ABEJA said its platform can be adapted to local legal frameworks and corporate security policies without requiring organisations to delegate data sovereignty to foreign countries. Against this backdrop, it made the decision to establish its new Singapore subsidiary as a regional hub for business development across ASEAN. The move is also said to align with Japan's Basic Plan for Artificial Intelligence (Phase II), approved by the Japanese Cabinet on 14 July 2026 – which calls for the social implementation of vertical AI and Physical AI, the development of open "AI sovereignty", and stronger partnerships with ASEAN and other regions.

Through the new subsidiary, ABEJA said it will bring its expertise to overseas markets and contribute to the development of digital infrastructure aimed at addressing complex challenges globally.

ABEJA plans to build on experience with more than 300 companies

Looking ahead, ABEJA said it will draw on its experience supporting mission-critical operations at Japanese enterprises as it expands the ABEJA Platform across the region.

From Singapore, ABEJA plans to develop partnerships with local companies, universities, research centres, and government bodies to support new projects. It will also progressively expand the subsidiary's operational capabilities as it looks to grow its AI and Physical AI business across the Global South, including ASEAN.

Clarence Chua, Senior Vice President and Head, Japan and Korea, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), welcomed ABEJA's decision to establish its regional hub in Singapore.

Chua said the move reflects Singapore's position as a trusted base for companies involved in AI development and deployment, while ABEJA's expertise in enterprise AI could support efforts to accelerate AI adoption across industries.

He added:

We look forward to partnering ABEJA as it taps on our talent pool, forges local business and innovation partnerships, and delivers impactful AI solutions across the region.

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