Why Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam are losing the AI race they think they are winning
In January 2026, Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development announced an additional SG$1 billion (US$786 million) over five years for the National AI Research and Development Plan, on top of the SG$500 million (US$393 million) already committed to high-performance compute under Budget 2024. Indonesia is pursuing 9 million skilled digital workers by 2035. Vietnam has elevated […] The post Why…
The article discusses the challenges faced by Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam in their pursuit of becoming AI leaders, despite significant investments in infrastructure and workforce development. While these countries have committed billions of dollars and set ambitious workforce targets, they are experiencing a growing talent shortage that threatens their AI ambitions.
In Indonesia, the demand for digital talent is projected to reach 12 million by 2030, but only 9.3 million workers are expected to be available, leaving a shortfall of 2.7 million. Similarly, Singapore, ranked third globally on the AI Readiness Index, faces a talent shortage, with 71% of employers reporting difficulty hiring skilled professionals.
Vietnam aims to train 500,000 IT workers by 2025, but has yet to fill this gap. The article highlights this paradox, referred to as the "Hollow Stack," where infrastructure and policy are in place, but the skilled workforce required to operate and manage it is dwindling.
Brief written by urgent.news from e27's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
