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

  • US congestion costs continue to rise
    January 25, 2012
    The 2010 Urban Mobility Report, published by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, concludes that after two years of slight declines in overall traffic congestion - attributable to the economic downturn and high fuel prices - leading indicators suggest that as the economy rebounds, traffic problems are doing the same. While 2008 was the best year for commuters in at least a decade, the problem again began to grow in 2009.
    Read More
  • TISPOL says gig economy tears up enforcement rulebook
    March 4, 2019
    The road safety enforcement sector is facing a crisis. Rulebooks around the world are going to have to change as our roads become a high-pressure workplace for millions of gig economy workers. Geoff Hadwick reports from the TISPOL conference Traffic police forces everywhere will need a fresh approach to regulating the way in which our highways are being used, senior enforcement officers were told at the latest TISPOL European Traffic Police Network annual conference. The World Health Organisation puts it
    Read More
  • Getting connected with Wejo
    July 1, 2022
    New cloud-based platform allows researchers to run mobility studies using CV data
    Read More
  • AVs in the Netherlands? Don't forget the bikes
    June 11, 2019
    The Netherlands’ famous love of bicycles could be a problem when it comes to the deployment of autonomous vehicles there. And there might be other obstacles, finds Ben Spencer Of all the countries on the planet, the Netherlands is most ready to start deploying autonomous vehicles (AVs), according to a survey by KPMG earlier this year. On the face of it, this is good news: coming first out of 25 countries listed in the Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index (AVRI) for the second consecutive year puts the Du
    Read More

Highlighted Content