Thales, EDB ink pacts to bolster Singapore’s edge in deep tech, manufacturing
The French industrial giant is partnering EDB on three new agreements signed at the Singapore Airshow 2026
[SINGAPORE] Thales has signed three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) to deepen its local capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing.
These announcements were made at the Singapore Airshow 2026 on Tuesday (Feb 3).
Singapore is set to become one of three global research and development centres for the technology company’s FlytEdge in-flight entertainment (IFE) platform.
The French giant will train close to 40 FlytEdge experts by 2030, who will develop new end-to-end services that integrate cloud and edge computing, which will be “cybersecured by design”.
The EDB partnership marks a significant upgrade to Thales’ Cyber & Digital Manufacturing Competence Centre in Singapore. The facility, which currently produces over 200 million banking cards and 10 million passport data pages annually, will integrate advanced smart automation technologies, including collaborative robots and autonomous mobile robots, to boost production efficiency.
Additionally, Thales is launching a locally created regulatory technology managed service. Powered by AI and developed jointly by teams in Singapore and France, the service is designed to keep fintech firms and other regulated sectors audit-ready and compliant across major public cloud infrastructures.
“The support and partnership from the EDB is pivotal,” said Emily Tan, country director and chief executive of Thales in Singapore. “I look forward to bringing the best of our capabilities to strengthen Singapore’s cyber and digital positioning, and to advance its manufacturing ambitions.”
In 2025, Thales, Singapore Airlines , the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Changi Airport Group, Sats and the International Centre for Aviation Innovation signed an MOU to collaborate on the International Avionics Lab and “jointly explore, initiate and undertake avionics innovation projects”.
The flag carrier uses Thales IFE on its Airbus A350 aircraft.
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