Video conferencing platform Zoom has just announced today (December 16) that it will expand its presence in Singapore by opening a new Research and Development Center on the island.
Beyond just that, the California-based company also plans to expand its data centre here. These expansions bring about plans to hire hundreds of “key engineering headcount“.
Zoom has already had a presence in Singapore for two years, but these new developments represent its commitment in growing strategic relations and investments in Singapore.
The expansion into Singapore will supplement Zoom’s existing R&D centers in the US, India, and China, and support Zoom’s engineering leadership, which is based at its San Jose, California headquarters.
Currently, Zoom is also hiring for 12 positions in Singapore, according to its job portal.
Zoom’s President of Product and Engineering Velchamy Sankarlingam said that the tech company plans to “immediately hire employees, leveraging Singapore’s highly-educated engineering talent pool.”
Singapore Still Drawing Investments From Global Tech Firms
Despite a global pandemic, Singapore is still drawing investments from global tech firms.
In the first half of 2020, Singapore had already drawn S$ 14.3 billion in fixed-asset investments — this is 95 per cent of the total investment commitments for 2019.
Some global tech firms ramping up their presence in Singapore this year despite the ongoing pandamic include Chinese giant Tencent, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, and Twitter.
Singapore is pro-business, ranks as one of the friendliest countries to set up a company, and continues to be a favourite for regional headquarters as it boasts exceptional talent, strong infrastructure, and is a perfect gateway for engaging the wider APAC region.
Velchamy Sankarlingam, President of Product and Engineering for Zoom
This goes on to show the confidence of global firm towards the governance and infrastructure of Singapore.
Back in May 2020, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing revealed a roadmap on how the government intends to generate investments and jobs to cushion the impact of the pandemic.
He added, “throughout the crisis, we have been known as a safe harbour for talent, intellectual property, we have remained open and connected, we have not put up export restrictions – all these attractive features for people to want to continue to put their investment in Singapore.”
Featured Image Credit: SUNDRY PHOTOGRAPHY
