‘Phenomenal’ amount of capital going into AI could be more spread out: Temasek CEO

Temasek Holdings CEO Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegaran highlighted at the Forbes Global CEO Conference that the significant influx of capital into artificial intelligence (AI) could be better distributed, particularly towards AI adoption. Much of the funds are currently funneled into AI-related components like chips and infrastructure.

Sandrasegaran expressed concern about potential rising capital costs due to inflationary pressures from AI infrastructure investment. Temasek is already considering this issue as its companies require financing for operations, transformation, and AI adoption.

The panel also featured Ray Dalio, Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson, and Bangkok Bank president Chartsiri Sophonpanich. Sandrasegaran pointed out that a substantial portion of the profit pool has accumulated in the chip sector. Notably, ST Telemedia, a Temasek subsidiary, recently sold its 82% stake in ST Telemedia Global Data Centres to KKR and Singtel for S$6.6 billion (US$5.16 billion).

Sandrasegaran questioned the decision, as the subsidiary had benefitted from Temasek's creditworthiness. He argued that continuing to invest in energy capacity or advanced data centre technology would have resulted in higher costs.

DBS Group CEO Tan Su Shan discussed strategies to promote AI adoption during a separate panel at the event. She emphasized creating a safe environment for experimentation and failure, providing employees with tools to develop their own AI agents, and managing data governance and accountability. Tan stressed that firms must focus on the well-being of employees and customers amidst workforce transformations driven by AI.