新加坡：从水下无人机、癌症筛查，到工业维护和实时欺诈检测，亚洲初创企业正将人工智能带出软件领域，融入现实世界。
SINGAPORE: From underwater drones and cancer screening to industrial maintenance and real-time fraud detection, Asian startups are taking artificial intelligence beyond software and into the real world.
周三（9月30日），30家此类公司在“下一代科技30强”（NextGen Tech 30，简称NGT30）活动上亮相。该计划旨在表彰并支持本区域处于成长阶段的科技公司。
Thirty of these companies were showcased on Wednesday (Sep 30) at the NextGen Tech 30 (NGT30), an initiative that recognises and supports growth-stage technology companies from across the region.
今年入选企业中，超过半数将人工智能应用于风电场、仓库、药房、建筑工地和低地球轨道等实体产业，标志着与以往以软件公司为主的入选阵容相比出现了转变。
More than half of this year’s honourees are applying AI to physical industries such as wind farms, warehouses, pharmacies, construction sites and low-Earth orbit, marking a shift from the software-focused firms that dominated previous cohorts.
它们开发的技术也涵盖定制芯片、人形机器人、高光谱卫星和可持续航空燃料系统等多个领域。
They are also developing technologies ranging from custom silicon and humanoid robots to hyperspectral satellites and sustainable aviation fuel systems.
NGT30已举办至第三届，由总部位于新加坡的私募资本平台Granite Asia与新加坡交易所（SGX）联合主导，汇聚投资者、政府机构和行业参与者，帮助有潜力的企业从亚洲走向全球。
Now in its third edition, NGT30 is led by Singapore-based private capital platform Granite Asia in partnership with the Singapore Exchange (SGX), bringing together investors, government agencies and industry players to help promising companies scale globally from Asia.
今年获表彰的初创企业中，近半数总部位于新加坡，三分之一来自日本。其余企业来自中国、印度、马来西亚和韩国。
Nearly half of the startups recognised this year are headquartered in Singapore, while a third are from Japan. The remaining firms are from China, India, Malaysia and South Korea.
国家发展部长兼新加坡金融管理局（MAS）副主席徐芳达在活动上致辞时表示，这些企业“展现了亚洲创新基础日益增长的深度和广度”，有潜力“重塑商业模式、变革各行各业”。
Speaking at the event, Minister for National Development and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) deputy chairman Chee Hong Tat said the firms “illustrate the growing depth and breadth of Asia’s innovation base”, with the potential to “reshape business models and transform industries”.
但他指出，获得认可只是开始，接下来的挑战是将有潜力的初创企业打造成具备国际竞争力的公司。
But recognition is only the beginning, he said, with the next challenge being to turn promising startups into companies capable of competing internationally.
徐芳达说：“初创企业必须证明一个想法可行。而成长型企业则必须让它在不同市场、超越本土范围、以更大规模反复奏效。”
“A startup has to prove that an idea can work. A scale-up has to make it work repeatedly, across different markets beyond domestic shores, and at a much greater scale,” Mr Chee said.
他补充说，这需要能够与企业共同成长的资本、能够跟上步伐的组织能力，以及适应不同市场的能力。
This requires capital that can grow with a company, organisational capabilities that can keep pace and the ability to adapt to different markets, he added.
他说：“我们的目标是创造一个有利的环境，让企业能够从新加坡起步，从初创企业发展为规模化企业，并成为区域和全球领导者。”
“Our aim is to create an enabling environment where companies can build from Singapore, progress from startup to scale-up, and become regional and global leaders,” he said.
人工智能迈向现实世界。Granite Asia高级管理合伙人李宏玮将今年的入选企业视为人工智能更广泛演进的一部分。
AI MOVES INTO THE REAL WORLD Granite Asia senior managing partner Jenny Lee sees this year’s cohort as part of a broader evolution of AI.
她在接受CNA采访时表示：“我们现在正进入所谓的AI 3.0时代。”她描述的是一种超越前沿模型和AI智能体、迈向其在现实环境中部署的转变。
“We’re now going into what we call AI 3.0,” she told CNA, describing a shift beyond frontier models and AI agents towards their deployment in real-world environments.
“今年的获奖者……实际上正在利用AI模型来变革各个行业。这正是令人兴奋之处。”今年的获奖者中包括总部位于新加坡的Menlo Research，该公司正在开发一款名为Asimov的开源人形机器人，以及一款名为Jan的AI智能体。
“This year’s awardees … are actually leveraging AI models to transform industries. And that’s the excitement.”Among this year's honourees is Singapore-based Menlo Research, which is developing an open-source humanoid robot named Asimov, as well as an AI agent called Jan.
据该公司介绍，Asimov已吸引了一个由开发者和爱好者组成的国际社区，他们正在对这款开源机器人进行定制和改进。
Asimov has attracted an international community of developers and enthusiasts who are customising and improving the open-source robot, according to the company.
但该公司创始人Daniel Ong表示，将生成式AI领域取得的进展应用到实体机器中，面临着截然不同的挑战。
But putting the advances seen in generative AI into a physical machine presents a very different challenge, said the firm's founder Daniel Ong.
他补充说，尽管AI系统能够处理海量信息，但机器人仍然难以完成人类凭直觉就能完成的任务，例如与物体互动。Menlo Research创始人Daniel Ong。
While AI systems can process enormous amounts of information, robots still struggle with tasks humans perform intuitively, such as interacting with objects, he added. Menlo Research founder Daniel Ong.
Ong先生说：“将AI放入机器人身体，并让它理解物理空间，实际上非常困难。”
“To put AI into a robot body and for it to understand physical space is actually really difficult,” Mr Ong said.
“我们如何训练AI具备对物理学的直觉理解……并能够导航世界、做真实的事情，比如……从地上捡起东西？”AI与早期癌症检测。今年入选名单中的另一家公司是日本初创企业Craif，该公司正在将AI应用于癌症筛查。
“How do we train an AI with an intuitive understanding of physics … and be able to navigate the world and do real things like ... pick up something from the floor?”AI & EARLY CANCER DETECTION Another firm in this year’s lineup is Japanese startup Craif, which is applying AI to cancer screening.
该公司开发了一项技术，能够从尿液中提取微小RNA（microRNA），并利用人工智能分析这些微小RNA的成分，以检测与多种癌症（包括胰腺癌、肺癌和乳腺癌）相关的生物标志物。
The company has developed technology that extracts microRNA from urine and uses AI to analyse its profile for signs associated with multiple cancers, including pancreatic, lung and breast cancer.
首席执行官兼联合创始人小野哲一（Ryuichi Onose）表示，该技术的癌症检测准确率可达约90%。
CEO and co-founder Ryuichi Onose said the technology can detect cancer with about 90 per cent accuracy.
该公司已在日本推出这项检测服务，并将业务扩展到了美国，现在正将目光投向东南亚市场。
Having already launched its test in Japan and expanded to the United States, the firm is now eyeing Southeast Asia.
“我们正在为在新加坡推出该产品做准备，”小野哲一先生说道，“希望明年能在那里正式提供这项检测服务。”
"We've been preparing to launch our product in Singapore," said Mr Onose. The company hopes to make the test available here next year.
小野哲一认为，NGT30技术有助于Craif公司拓展其业务范围，走出日本市场。
Mr Onose sees NGT30 as a way to help Craif expand beyond Japan.
“亚洲对我们来说是最重要的市场；在日本之外，我们需要医疗机构和医疗服务提供商的支持与合作，”他说，“因此，这个检测平台对我们来说至关重要，它能够帮助我们拓展海外市场。”随着公司的发展，资金获取成为其进一步扩张的关键因素。
“Asia is the most important market for us, and outside Japan, we need support, we need partnerships in terms of medical institutions and healthcare providers,” he said. “So, this platform is very important for us to step outside of Japan.”Craif CEO and co-founder Ryuichi Onose. CAPITAL FOR THE NEXT STAGE As companies grow, access to capital becomes another part of the scaling challenge.
陈先生（Mr. Chee）指出，公司的融资需求会随着发展阶段的变化而变化——从早期投资阶段，到需要更多成长资本，最终可能需要进入公开资本市场。
Mr Chee said companies’ financing needs change as they develop, from early-stage investment to larger pools of growth capital and, for some, eventually the public markets.
“我们正在努力加强新加坡的成长资本生态系统，帮助有潜力的公司与他们所需的资金来源建立联系，”他说。
“We are working to strengthen Singapore’s growth capital ecosystem and connect promising companies with the pools of capital they need as they scale,” he said.
今年早些时候，新加坡金融管理局（MAS）和贸易工业部联合成立了“成长资本工作组”，探讨如何完善新加坡的成长资本生态系统。
Earlier this year, MAS and the Ministry of Trade and Industry convened the Growth Capital Workgroup to look at ways to strengthen Singapore’s growth capital ecosystem.
陈先生还提到，随着公司的发展，IPO（首次公开募股）活动的增加以及其他促进新加坡股市发展的举措，为寻求资金的公司提供了新的途径。
Mr Chee also pointed to increased IPO activity and other efforts to strengthen Singapore’s equities market as potential avenues for companies seeking capital as they mature.
Menlo Research公司开发了一款开源人形机器人“Asimov”。
Menlo Research open-source humanoid robot Asimov.
新加坡交易所集团（SGX Group）的高级董事总经理Pol de Win表示，新加坡为企业提供了接触全球投资者的机会，同时当地的投资社区也熟悉东南亚及更广泛地区的市场情况。
SGX Group senior managing director Pol de Win said Singapore offers companies access to global investors, alongside a local investment community familiar with markets across Southeast Asia and the wider region.
公开市场也可以让成长型企业“非常高效地获得永久资本”，他补充说。
Public markets can also provide growing companies with “very efficient access to permanent capital”, he added.
德温先生表示，近期加强市场的努力已初步显现成效，但要充分发挥作用还需时间。
Mr de Win said recent efforts to strengthen the market were showing early signs of progress, but would take time to have their full effect.
“我们目前仍处于起步阶段，”他说，“但可以说，我对未来三至五年非常乐观。” 更强大的生态系统 不过，资本只是新兴科技公司实现规模化所需的条件之一。
“We’re still early days,” he said. “But I’m very optimistic for, let’s say, the next three to five years ahead.”A STRONGER ECOSYSTEM Capital, however, is only one part of what emerging technology companies need to scale.
门洛研究公司的王先生表示，企业周边需要聚集供应商、人才以及开发互补技术的企业。
Menlo Research’s Mr Ong said companies need to be surrounded by suppliers, talent and other businesses developing complementary technologies.
他指出，中国深圳和丹麦奥登塞等机器人产业集群，就是支撑该行业发展所需的集聚密度。他说，新加坡具备一些优势。
He pointed to robotics clusters such as Shenzhen in China and Odense in Denmark as examples of the density needed to support the industry. Singapore has some advantages, he said.
“这里是东方硬件优势、制造专长与西方智慧的交汇之地，”他说，“但我担心的是，我们能否形成一个足够密集的机器人生态系统。” 他补充称，有针对性的政府支持，以及愿意在新兴技术上承担风险的投资者，可以为创业者搭建一座通往成功的平台。“一只燕子不成夏，需要的是整个村子的合力，”他说。
“It’s a meeting point … where eastern hardware excellence and manufacturing know-how meets Western brains,” he said. “(But) what I worry about is whether we can have a sufficiently dense robotics ecosystem.”He added that targeted government support and investors willing to take risks on emerging technologies can provide a platform for entrepreneurs to succeed. “One swallow does not a summer make, it takes a village,” he said.