Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an area of computer science that emphasizes the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans.
It is becoming a key driving force for next generation innovation, and developers in Southeast Asia are increasingly competing to uncover new approaches and broaden its reach.
Southeast Asia is one region that has invested heavily in AI and as a result boasts huge growth in its AI capabilities and understanding.
By recognizing AI’s capacity to influence both business and social settings, the region has published a diverse range of AI-related research papers and patents in recent years.
Subject matters include not just computer algorithms, but also semiconductors, robotics, medicine, and biochemistry, thus highlighting the versatility of AI and its potential applications to impact everyday lives.
According to Clarivate Analytics and InCites Benchmarking, findings indicate an overall increase in the number of AI specific patents published in Southeast Asia during the past 20 years, with consistent growth since 2013.
Below are numbers of AI-related research papers published by TOP 10 Southeast Asian Universities:
| Southeast Asian Universities | Country | Numbers of AI-Related Research Papers |
| Nanyang Technological University | Singapore | 2,827 |
| National University of Singapore | Singapore | 2,383 |
| University Malaya | Malaysia | 1,103 |
| Universiti Teknologi Malaysia | Malaysia | 1,150 |
| Universiti Putra Malaysia | Malaysia | 626 |
| Agency for Science Technology & Research (A*STAR) | Singapore | 539 |
| Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia | Malaysia | 643 |
| King Mongkuts University of Technology | Thailand | 618 |
| Universiti Sains Malaysia | Malaysia | 523 |
| Mahidol University | Thailand | 274 |
On the same note, by country, Singapore remains the leading light in the region, accounting for 77% of Southeast Asia’s total patent publications.
Using Derwent Innovation, we can identify the specific companies investing in the AI market. Established brands, Johnson & Johnson, Applied Materials and Softbank Robotics are at the forefront of the sector, dominating published patents in the country.
THE PATENT LANDSCAPE OF THE PATENT IN THE REGION
| Country | AI Patent Published (%) |
| Singapore | 77 |
| Vietnam | 7 |
| Indonesia | 6 |
| Malaysia | 5 |
| Philippines | 4 |
| Thailand | 1 |
In short, below are the key observations concluded within the anaylisis:
# Southeast Asia continues to expand its patenting output with consistent growth since 2013. • More than 24,000 AI-related papers have been published in the Southeast Asia region, with Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand accounting for 86% of output
# Of 161 Highly Cited AI papers in Southeast Asia, 97 derived from Singapore. Singapore is the only country that has outperformed the global average
# Singapore is leading the region’ s output, accounting for 77% of its patent publications and more than 40% of its AI-related research literature
# Between 1997-2016 patenting activity in Singapore was dominated by the innovation surrounding semi-conductors, image recognition and speech recognition
Source : InCites Benchmarking & Analytics by Clarivate Analytics
