It has witnessed the transition from the digital economy to the age of artificial intelligence, and documented AI’s journey from technological breakthroughs to industrial application, and from model competition to governance collaboration.Article author and source: ME Events
If CES showcases consumer technology and MWC focuses on the communications industry, then in the age of artificial intelligence, ATxSG (Asia Tech x Singapore) is taking on another role: it’s not just about displaying technology, but about connecting government, industry, research, and capital to collectively discuss the next steps for AI in Asia.
Since its founding in 2021, this technology summit, co-organized by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Informa, has followed a clear trajectory: from discussing the digital economy amid the pandemic, to the explosion of generative AI, and now focusing on AI agents, embodied intelligence, AI governance, and national AI strategies. The evolution of ATxSG’s themes has nearly perfectly mirrored the heartbeat of the global AI industry over the past few years.
For ATxSG, what truly matters is not the growth in scale itself, but its growing role as a key convergence point for Asia’s artificial intelligence industry, policy, and governance.
One chart showing the six-year evolution of ATxSG
From just 3,000 attendees at its inaugural event in 2021 to 22,000 global representatives in 2026, ATxSG has grown nearly sevenfold in six years—a true reflection of the Asian AI industry’s journey from infancy to explosive growth.
2021: Starting from the digital economy, ATxSG’s origin was not AI.
ATxSG was born during the pandemic. At that time, artificial intelligence had not yet become a central topic in the global tech industry, ChatGPT had not been introduced, and the era of large models had not yet arrived. The first ATxSG focused more on the digital economy, digital society, and how technology could drive global economic recovery.
The inaugural ATxSG did not focus on artificial intelligence, but rather aimed to explore the intersection of the digital economy, technology, and social development.
Since its first edition, ATxSummit has operated on an invitation-only basis, bringing together government officials, international organizations, corporate leaders, and academic institutions to discuss topics such as digital governance, cross-border cooperation, and sustainable development. Concurrently, ATxEnterprise serves as a platform for industry exhibition and business networking.
ATxSG began as a technology exhibition and has evolved into a regional platform connecting policymakers, industry, and research institutions.
2022–2023: Generative AI shifted the focus of conference discussions
The real turning point occurred between 2022 and 2023.
As generative AI rapidly advances, ATxSG's topics have increasingly shifted toward artificial intelligence.
In 2022, the conference focused on cutting-edge topics such as trustworthy AI, quantum computing, the metaverse, and digital sustainability; by 2023, generative AI had become one of the most discussed topics, with Web3, digital governance, and the impact of AI on industry and society taking center stage.
Meanwhile, ATxSG's international influence is also continuously expanding.
In 2023, the conference attracted over 17,000 industry participants from around the world; ATxSummit gathered approximately 2,000 invited guests and more than 50 international speakers, while ATxEnterprise attracted over 600 exhibiting companies from 94 countries and regions and more than 300 speakers.
Compared to the previous two editions, this period's ATxSG has moved beyond merely discussing the digital economy and has begun addressing the industrial transformations brought about by the global AI technology wave.
2024–2026: From Discussing AI to Building AI
If early discussions focused on the "possibilities of AI," then ATxSG over the past three years has shifted toward more practical themes:
How to build the foundational infrastructure for the AI era.
In 2024, the Singapore Digital Enterprise Blueprint was unveiled at the conference, alongside the National Quantum Strategy, a Green Data Center Roadmap, and a new initiative to invest in computing power and talent. AI has evolved from a tool for corporate innovation into a critical component of the nation’s digital infrastructure.
In 2025, the conference began to place greater emphasis on AI governance and the construction of a trustworthy AI ecosystem.
The Singapore Consensus on Global AI Safety Research Priorities has been officially released. The AI Verify testing framework has been upgraded to support generative AI, and a series of initiatives, including the MERaLiON Southeast Asian multimodal large model and the Global AI Assurance Pilot, have been unveiled. Compared to discussions on model capabilities, the focus at this stage has shifted toward making AI safer, more trustworthy, and more scalable for real-world deployment.
At the most recent summit held in May, the agenda of ATxSummit sent a strong signal once again. AI agents, embodied intelligence, AI-driven scientific discovery, the impact of AI on employment structures, and AI governance practices emerged as the five core themes. Meanwhile, the participation of international organizations and tech companies such as OpenAI, NVIDIA, Google, Amazon, the World Bank, and the OECD in the agenda signifies that the summit is bringing together industry, policy, research, and global governance within a single discussion framework.
ATxSG is no longer just observing AI; it is discussing how AI is becoming the new infrastructure of the economy.
From regional summits to an Asian AI platform: How has ATxSG’s influence evolved?
Compared to many tech conferences focused on technology releases or product demonstrations, ATxSG’s differentiated positioning is becoming increasingly clear.
First, it consistently maintains a structure involving collaboration among government, industry, and academia. The Singapore government continuously uses the conference to announce national digital strategies, AI policies, and industry initiatives, making ATxSG an important window for observing digital policies in Asia.
Second, international participation in the conference has continued to grow. In recent years, global institutions and companies such as the World Bank, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Amazon, Salesforce, and SAP have consistently participated, expanding the scope of discussions from regional cooperation to global AI governance.
More importantly, the focus of the conference discussions has gradually shifted from technical capabilities to industrial capabilities.
In the past, discussions focused on model performance; today, greater attention is paid to how AI is being integrated into enterprises, public services, scientific innovation, and cross-border collaboration, and how to build truly sustainable industrial systems.
This transformation has gradually turned ATxSG from a regional tech conference into a key platform for exchange in Asia's AI industry.
Four considerations: Where will ATxSG go next?
AI governance in Asia will become a long-term main theme.
Over the past few years, ATxSG has consistently advanced governance frameworks such as AI Verify and the Singapore Consensus. In the future, as AI regulations continue to evolve globally, discussions around trustworthy AI, safety standards, and international collaboration will remain key topics at the conference.
The importance of AI infrastructure will continue to grow.
From national computing power construction and green data centers to AI talent development and digital enterprise transformation, ATxSG has increasingly strengthened its focus on infrastructure issues in recent years. As AI costs and computing demands continue to rise, these discussions are expected to intensify further.
Enterprise AI will be the core application focus of the conference.
Topics such as agents, enterprise agents, industry AI, and embodied intelligence have begun to replace discussions focused solely on large models. In the future, the conference’s focus may shift more toward how AI can truly integrate into enterprise operations and industrial chains, rather than remaining limited to technological innovation.
ATxSG is shaping an Asian AI agenda.
In the past, the global AI industry was primarily centered around technological innovation in the United States and regulatory frameworks in Europe. Today, Asia is gradually forging its own development path, with ATxSG emerging as a key platform connecting governments, businesses, research institutions, and international cooperation.
Conclusion
The six-year transformation of ATxSG is, in some ways, a microcosm of artificial intelligence development in Asia.
It has witnessed the transition from the digital economy to the age of artificial intelligence, and documented AI’s journey from technological breakthroughs to industrial application, and from model competition to governance collaboration.
For ATxSG, what truly matters is not how many forums it hosts annually or how many guests it invites, but whether it can continuously connect the forces of policy, industry, and technology to build a uniquely Asian pathway for AI development. As global artificial intelligence enters a new phase of application, governance, and industrial collaboration, this platform born in Singapore is also becoming an important window for observing Asia’s AI future.
ATxSG official website link: https://asiatechxsg.com