Ecosystem Roundup: Frozen Middle: 57% of SEA firms can’t scale their AI pilots

A recent study reveals that 57% of Southeast Asian companies struggle to scale their AI pilots, despite allocating more budget to the technology each year. The Adobe State of AI Readiness Report surveyed 461 senior executives across the region and found that only 15% of AI ideas progress to production. IT evaluation and security review each eliminate 18% of proposals, reflecting concerns over unchecked agent privileges.

The primary issue lies in accountability: merely 12% of firms have an AI owner with budgetary authority, compared to 89% among the region's top performers. Only 8% of organizations measure AI ROI comprehensively. This suggests a scaling problem rather than an adoption issue. Successful firms prioritize funding employees who achieve AI success, as seen with Adobe's own workforce.

The study draws parallels to Adobe's earlier research on AI ROI. Initiatives like Singtel's RE:AI partnership with SIT-NVIDIA seek to address the deployment gap. Meanwhile, Malaysia's 2027 budget allocates US$110.4M for startups, with larger allocations found elsewhere in the budget. TCGX launches a US$600M biotech fund, opening an office in Hong Kong, while BII commits US$1.6B to climate finance in Southeast Asia over five years.

Notable startup funding includes NEU Battery Materials' US$7.6M for LFP recycling, Drylab's US$3M for autonomous AI agents, and UOB's partnership with AWS for hybrid cloud and AI banking solutions. Vietnam's VinFast dominates the domestic car market, capturing 36% of sales in its first nine months.