Singapore's National AI Strategy Update (May 2026): What SMEs Get

What was announced in May 2026

Two sets of announcements came out of Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG) week. In her ATxSummit opening address on 20 May 2026, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo set out updated priorities under the National AI Strategy (NAIS) 2.0, first launched in December 2023. A day later, on 21 May, Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How announced enterprise initiatives at ATxEnterprise, detailed in IMDA's press release Building AI-Ready Enterprises.

The National AI Impact Programme: the 10,000-SME target

The Minister said the National AI Impact Programme "aims to broaden the base of enterprise users" and that "we will help 10,000 SMEs use AI meaningfully". The programme itself was launched earlier, at the Committee of Supply debates in March 2026. MDDI's NAIIP factsheet sets three-year targets of 10,000 enterprises and 100,000 "AI Bilingual" workers.

• More AI in the pre-approved list: IMDA and Enterprise Singapore pre-approve cost-effective solutions from vendors for grant support; IMDA said it would raise the share that is AI-enabled from 30% to 50%.
• Digital Leaders Accelerator Bootcamp: hands-on AI project development for business leaders, an enhancement of IMDA's Digital Leaders Programme.
• TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) for AI Bilingual workers: starting with accountancy and legal professionals, with ISCA, the Singapore Academy of Law and the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association.

SME AI adoption is still low but rising. IMDA's Singapore Digital Economy Report found AI adoption among SMEs rose from 4.2% in 2023 to 14.5% in 2024, compared with 62.5% among larger firms.

Grab AI Programme for SMEs: free AI training for F&B and retail

IMDA's factsheet on the Grab and RSM partnerships (21 May 2026) says Grab will reach 10,000 F&B, e-commerce and retail SMEs through GrabAcademy. What is on offer:

• Free online training videos on practical AI use cases for these sectors.
• Complimentary masterclasses and webinars co-curated with IMDA.
• A structured two-day course, "From AI Awareness to Business Advantage: A Practical Roadmap", co-developed with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
• After the course, Grab and IMDA pre-approved AI solution providers help participants pick relevant pre-approved solutions.

The factsheet does not give a separate sign-up link; it says outreach runs through Grab's merchant network, digital channels and events. If you are a Grab merchant, check GrabAcademy and your merchant app. Others can watch IMDA's SMEs Go Digital platform for the course listing.

RSM Cyber2SME: a free phishing simulation for your staff

The cybersecurity half of the 21 May announcement is the most immediately useful for many offices. Over two years, RSM Stone Forest IT commits to the following, according to the same IMDA factsheet.

1. 1

   Sign up on IMDA's SMEs Go Digital platform

   IMDA links the sign-up from its factsheet (go.gov.sg/rsm-cyber2sme-mediafactsheet). Places are capped at 2,000 SMEs.

2. 2

   Run the one-time phishing simulation

   The exercise covers up to 30 employees per company and is tailored to job functions, so staff receive realistic but harmless test emails.

3. 3

   Review the report with RSM

   You get a phishing simulation performance report and a 30-minute one-to-one online advisory session with an RSM cybersecurity practitioner.

4. 4

   Join a webinar or tabletop exercise

   Up to 1,000 SMEs can attend awareness webinars and tabletop exercises on cyber risks, AI and data threats and incident response.

IMDA's factsheet cites Singapore Police Force figures of S$35.3 million lost to business email compromise scams across 377 cases in 2025, which is why a phishing test is worth an hour of your staff's time.

Awards, the AI playbook and the other announcements

Two more items may interest some SMEs. The SME AI Impact Awards 2026, run by IMDA and the Singapore Business Federation, recognise up to 30 SMEs that achieved measurable results with AI. Nominations ran from 1 June to 14 August 2026, and winners were to be celebrated at SMEs Go Digital Day on 13 October 2026, so the 2026 round is closed.

The AI for Enterprise Impact Playbook, from IMDA, SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore, is a step-by-step guide for digitally advanced firms (Digital Leaders) that consolidates IMDA, Enterprise Singapore, SSG and WSG support in one framework. It is available from IMDA's Digital Leaders Programme page.

The rest of the update (National AI Missions in connectivity, advanced manufacturing, healthcare and finance; the Punggol physical AI testbed; NVIDIA's research lab; partnerships with Google and OpenAI) shapes the wider ecosystem but has no direct application route for a typical SME. For newer support announced in October 2026, see our guide to IMDA's AI support for SMEs. If you need computing power for AI projects, our Enterprise Compute Initiative guide covers that scheme.

How to turn the strategy into one practical AI project

Training and simulations are useful, but the 10,000-SME target is about AI in daily operations. A sensible first project is small, measurable and low-risk.

Singapore has no single AI law yet, but PDPA, consumer protection and sector rules still apply to AI tools. Our overview of AI regulation for Singapore SMEs covers what to watch.

Do it yourself or get help?

Signing up for Grab's training or RSM's phishing simulation takes minutes and costs nothing, so do that yourself. Getting an AI tool working on your own content, linked to your inbox or spreadsheets, is where most SMEs need a hand.

IT Sorted is a Singapore-based team of developers with over 10 years of experience. Our AI Website Assistant (S$790) answers customer questions from your own FAQ, prices and policies and hands over to WhatsApp or email. Workflow Automation (S$390 per workflow) connects your apps so enquiries, invoices or bookings move without copy-paste. We are not a pre-approved grant vendor, so check grant routes before you order.