Singapore’s GIC sees AI opportunity for India as “raw ingredients” are in place
In a special interview MintBryan Yeo, the Group Chief Investment Officer of the GRIC, shared the role of the company’s AI Investment Thesis, the Role of the flagship bridge forum, a platform that combines AI initiatives with global companies and how the AI used it to improve investment decisions.
Quotes organized:
In the midst of geopolitical uncertainty, especially around the US-Indian trade ties, in the GIC India, especially in the investments related to artificial intelligence?
We definitely accept geopolitical and structural uncertainties globally, including the US-India technology and trade relationship. However, we are not worried about close -term volatility. We adopt a long -term, thematic approach to invest in GIC. Artificial intelligence is not only transformed, but a basic: a perennial theme.
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Therefore, our focal point continues to last permanent opportunities such as AI, which we see creating significant value in an economy like India. Geopolitical risks do not change our basic thesis while entering our obligation. Diversification is an important part of our strategy to ensure the flexibility of portfolio and India continues to be an important geography for us.
Can you explain how the GIC approaches AI investments in India? Where do you see the most urgent opportunities?
Our framework divides the AI value chain into three categories: facilitates, money earnings and adopting. It includes companies that build the infrastructure required for AI, such as activists, data centers and semiconductors. Pasislers are beginners who develop domestic products and services. Adoption are large companies that integrate AI into operations to increase productivity and transformation.
Currently, we are making the deepest investment in enforcers around the world, including global partnerships in data infrastructure. However, in India, we invest in those who adopt by industrial and financial companies as well as technology companies, which are mostly listed in large and medium -sized.
With all our investments, we are approaching from below. Although there is no special fund for AI investments in India, we invest in various layers of the Indian AI ecosystem through both public and private capital.
The bridge forum is a flagship attempt to promote synergies between GIC’s AI initiatives and large global businesses.
What role does the bridge forum play in support your AI strategy in India?
The bridge forum is a flagship attempt to promote synergies between GIC’s AI initiatives and large global businesses. Biennially kept in the Silicon Valley-the last print was in May 2025 and we made more than 500 curator promotions between the founders and more than 250 C-water leaders from 20 countries.
In 2023, we brought the bridge forum to India for the first time. CTO focused printing with the participation of leading Indian initiatives such as Flipkart, Razorpay, Zepto, Postman and Microsoft, Snowflake, Databricks and Stripe.
This year, we host the next Edition of India in Mumbai, where we aim to connect Indian technology founders with the CIOs and CTOs of multinational companies. The aim helps to scaze Indian initiatives by selling to global markets, while enabling MNCs to create a commercial value for all parties, including GIC, to adopt the latest AI technologies.
India is still behind the US and China under artificial intelligence innovation. What is your opinion about this gap and how can India grow?
I see this as a journey. India is behind the maturity of the initial ecosystem and growth compared to the US. However, we are very optimistic about India’s long -term potential.
The growth of the ecosystem is supported by a rapidly growing digital economy and a supportive regulatory environment of India. In our Indian offices, we rent many new graduates and see technical skills first.
While the AI starting ecosystem is still new, we believe that the raw components are in place. Our approach is to distribute and scale the patient capital and support commercially proven, commercially applicable initiatives.
The Indiaai mission and similar government initiatives can provide strong pressure for adopting AI and the development of digital infrastructure.
What is your view of India’s state -leading initiatives like Indiaai Mission? Do state partnerships affect the investment focus of the GIC?
The Indiaai mission and similar government initiatives can provide strong pressure for adopting AI and the development of digital infrastructure. Government -supported projects can provide verification of how good a product or service is pilot and certain markets to grow.
However, the focus of the GAR continues in commercial use. What is important to us is whether a company has a solid business model, strong management and scalable technology.
You talked about digitalization is a key driver. How important is this for your Indian portfolio?
Digitalization is an important value creator especially in the financial sector where we are long -term investors. Approximately $ 20 billion – the exposure of the GIC to financial services in India – this includes banks, NBFCs and insurance companies in public and private markets. We have invested here since the beginning of the 1990s.
AI is now an important facilitator in digitizing financial operations – from customer participation and credit scoring to fraud detection and operational efficiency.
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We also see a strong potential for adopting AI in health services – medical imaging analysis, drug development and clinical safety tests. In supply chains and manufacturing, AI is used for predictive routing, quality control and process optimization.
GIC actively invests in India infrastructure, real estate, IT services and production. In these sectors, AI adoption will only accelerate and open new investment opportunities.
How does he use the GIC AI built in an internal?
We are having a multi -year transformation to be an AI organization. A prominent project is a member of the Virtual Investment Committee (IC), a platform that swallows investment grades, analyzes within an hour and creates reports with investigation questions, risk flags and discussion requests.
This tool is already used by our real estate and fixed -income teams and benefits from decades of agreement data to simulate IC discussions and define blind spots. We develop various AI people, such as risk manager to further improve decision -making.
Such interior adoption helps us improve efficiency and analytical meticulousness. It is not to change people, but to increase our skills with smart, agent tools.
And finally, considering the AI -oriented disruptions, how do you think that companies, including what is in India, should be prepared?
We see AI as an opportunity and risk. It will create a tremendous value, but it will disrupt traditional business models. Companies that embrace AI early, probably, have a significant competitive advantage, while those who resist may be left behind.
In India, inter -sectors from financing to drugs wanted to invest in a proactive AI son. In the GIC, we will continue to support businesses that position themselves in this new environment.
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