Sourced records of Chinese AI deployments across the Global South and the Middle East

Its Singapore entity, SenseTime International Pte. Ltd., was registered in 2018; on 19 July 2021, it launched the SenseTime International AI Innovation Hub in Singapore as an AI capability hub for Southeast Asia, showcasing computer vision and smart city technologies, and signed MOUs with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Singapore and Business China to conduct AI talent development (including teacher AI capability building, student internships, and continuing education courses).

Established its first overseas office in Singapore on 23 January 2018, serving as a sales, marketing, and operations centre for the Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Macau markets (Computer Weekly: 'Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau'), and planned to add an R&D centre and hire approximately 50-60 AI researchers by the end of 2018 (no public evidence was found as to whether this plan was implemented). Its first regional customer was the Singapore security company Certis Cisco, which used its facial recognition solution to control access to sensitive areas such as data centres. This is a landmark early case of one of China's AI 'Four Little Dragons' expanding overseas to Singapore.