Singapore-based digital transformation company Temus has made a strategic investment in Thinking Machines Data Science, a Philippine-founded company specializing in enterprise AI and data solutions.

The deal strengthens regional AI capabilities and expands access to enterprise AI services across Southeast Asia.

Thinking Machines, founded in Manila in 2015 by Stephanie Sy, is OpenAI’s first official Services Partner in the Asia-Pacific region and has recently been elevated to OpenAI Advanced Partner status.

The company has trained more than 10,000 professionals in AI and deployed hundreds of enterprise AI systems across the financial services, retail, conglomerate and public sectors. It operates offices in Manila, Singapore and Bangkok.

“We built Thinking Machines on the belief that the Philippines can build and scale world-class AI capability,” Sy said.

“Joining the Temus group allows us to pursue that ambition at a much greater scale while staying true to our team, our clients and our mission.”

Temus, established by Temasek, said the partnership combines its enterprise transformation capabilities with Thinking Machines’ expertise in data platforms, AI deployment and workflow integration.

The companies said they aim to help businesses move beyond AI pilot projects by integrating AI into day-to-day operations and enterprise workflows.

The partnership will also expand services covering data engineering, governance, workflow integration, executive enablement and workforce upskilling.

Temus chief executive officer Sng Ren Yeong said many organizations continue to face challenges deploying AI in real-world environments because of fragmented data, legacy systems and regulatory requirements.

“Thinking Machines brings deep capability in that layer of the problem,” he said.