Grab and NUS set up AI lab in Singapore to make cities smarter

Technology company Grab and the National University of Singapore (NUS) has set up an artificial intelligence (AI) lab to help develop smarter cities in South-east Asia. The partnership intends to solve challenges such as congestion and the liveability of cities in the region. The Grab-NUS AI Lab, part of an initial joint investment of S$6m (£3.3m), will utilise data from the Grab platform to provide insights into how citizens move across cities. It will also be used to map out traffic patterns and ident
July 20, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Technology company Grab and the National University of Singapore (NUS) has set up an artificial intelligence (AI) lab to help develop smarter cities in South-east Asia. The partnership intends to solve challenges such as congestion and the liveability of cities in the region.


The Grab-NUS AI Lab, part of an initial joint investment of S$6m (£3.3m), will utilise data from the Grab platform to provide insights into how citizens move across cities. It will also be used to map out traffic patterns and identify ways to impact mobility directly.

Initially, the companies will work together to improve the efficiency and reliability of transport on the Grab platform. Researchers at the laboratory will create an AI platform for machine learning and visual analytics to help develop applications from Grab’s data set.

Additionally, the team will develop algorithms to provide passengers with smart services based on insights into their needs and to improve accuracy when mapping pick-up points. The technology is also expected to detect traffic events and anomalies in real time and improve urban traffic flow.

Anthony Tan, Grab co-founder, says data from the platform shows how travel time from the region of Newton to the Tanjong Pagar district can be improved.

“If this route would be better served by more shared transport solutions, such as buses, trains, GrabShuttle, GrabShare or GrabHitch, we could bring travel time during peak hour down by one third or from 40 to 28 minutes,” Tan adds.

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • Personal sensor moves smart cities forward
    December 1, 2020
    Open-seneca is a portable air quality monitor designed to pinpoint emission hotspots and drive behavioural change - and Swedish capital Stockholm is trying it out, writes Adam Hill
    Read More
  • UITP and New Cities Foundation team up to ‘advance urban mobility’
    October 18, 2018
    The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and the New Cities Foundation are getting together “to advance urban mobility and develop mutual interests”. The organisations have signed a two-year agreement aimed at “improving the lives of residents of our cities by shaping a better urban future for all”. In what looks like a loose partnership, they will collaborate at “mutual periods of interest” and at various upcoming events. “UITP is truly driving the conversation around more sustai
    Read More
  • Gui’an gets $199m traffic management loan
    August 30, 2019
    The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $199 million loan to help develop traffic management systems in the Chinese city of Gui’an. Susan Lim, ADB senior transport specialist for East Asia, says: “This project will serve as an example of how the People’s Republic of China and other countries can address the downsides of rapid urbanisation, such as high CO2 emissions, which have impacts well beyond national boundaries, and traffic jams and road safety.” The city, in Guizhou Province, will use the m
    Read More
  • Report highlights community impact of new mobility options
    March 29, 2018
    Local authorities and communities must understand the impacts of the new mobility options and regulate to get the transport systems they want, according to a new report. Colin Sowman takes a look. Outside of the big cities plagued with congestion, the existing transportation system(s) often cope adequately, and the ongoing workload (maintenance, safety…) is more than enough to keep local transport authorities busy. Is it, therefore, a good use of public service employees’ time to keep abreast of the raft
    Read More

Highlighted Content