{"slug": "singapores-ai-boom-is-lifting-gdp-who-gets-carried-along", "title": "Singapore’s AI boom is lifting GDP. Who gets carried along?", "summary": "Singapore's economy grew 6.1% year on year in the first half, with second-quarter growth at 5.9%, driven by an artificial intelligence investment boom, prompting the government to raise its full-year growth forecast to 4.5-5.5%. The growth is attributed to stronger-than-expected global AI capital expenditure, but the article questions whether the benefits will be broadly shared across sectors.", "body_md": "# Singapore’s AI boom is lifting GDP. Who gets carried along?\n\nClosing the productivity gap between sectors will require more than fiscal transfers\n\nSINGAPORE is doing what a small, open economy is supposed to do when the world enters an artificial intelligence investment boom: It is selling the picks and shovels.\n\nThe first half-year numbers are impressive. The economy grew by 6.1 per cent year on year, with second-quarter growth reaching 5.9 per cent.\n\nThe government has [raised its full-year growth forecast](https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/singapore/singapore-raises-2026-growth-forecast-4-5-5-5-q2-growth-revised-5-9) to between 4.5 and 5.5 per cent, citing stronger-than-expected [global AI capital expenditure](https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/singapore/iran-conflict-has-hit-inflation-more-growth-mas-says-any-growth-drag-will-be-outweighed-ai-boost).\n\n[TRENDING NOW](/pulse?ref=trending-now)\n\nJapan Home closing outlets; staff say Valu$ taking over operations\n\nTimah Partners lands S$60 million facility from lenders including UOB, RHB\n\nComfortDelGro’s Zig to buy S$10 million worth of BYD cars for private-hire fleet\n\nHow BYD disrupted Singapore’s car market – and why the strategy is turning on itself", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/singapores-ai-boom-is-lifting-gdp-who-gets-carried-along", "canonical_source": "https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/opinion-features/singapores-ai-boom-lifting-gdp-who-gets-carried-along", "published_at": "2026-08-20 23:00:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-20 23:14:19.159055+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Singapore government"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/singapores-ai-boom-is-lifting-gdp-who-gets-carried-along", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/singapores-ai-boom-is-lifting-gdp-who-gets-carried-along.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/singapores-ai-boom-is-lifting-gdp-who-gets-carried-along.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/singapores-ai-boom-is-lifting-gdp-who-gets-carried-along.jsonld"}}