SINGAPORE (March 19): Oracle said on Wednesday it would provide Singapore's defence technology arm with "isolated" cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) services, in the company's first such deal in Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asian governments are frequent targets of cyber espionage campaigns and are facing escalating supply chain attacks, according to security researchers.

Under the deal, the US firm will provide Singapore's armed forces and defence ministry with an "air-gapped" isolated cloud computing infrastructure — meaning that it will be cut off from the internet and connected instead to classified networks via encrypted devices.

"We're bringing our generative AI tools across the air gaps and into those isolated environments," said Oracle Global Defence chief technology officer Rand Waldron.

He highlighted the technology includes AI data and imagery capabilities, including the ability for the AI to analyse video streams for faces, licences, or details of cars.

Oracle declined to comment on the size of the deal.

Oracle has ramped up activities in Southeast Asia. It announced it planned to invest more than US$6.5 billion (RM28.87 billion) to set up a cloud region in Malaysia in October.

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