IMDA × Microsoft AI Safety and Security MOU

On 12 June 2026, at ATxSummit 2026 (ATxSG), the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Microsoft signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance AI safety and security, signed by IMDA Deputy Chief Executive Kiren Kumar and Microsoft Chief Responsible AI Officer Natasha Crampton. Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo announced the collaboration at the summit.

Three areas of collaboration:

1. Technical and research collaboration — jointly advancing the technical and research dimensions of AI safety and security, with a focus on agentic AI safety and the development of evaluation methods, tools and benchmarks, particularly multilingual AI safety — especially relevant for Southeast Asia's multilingual environment. 2. Information sharing — exchanging knowledge, best practices, governance frameworks and research findings on AI safety and security with ecosystem partners. 3. Policy framework for trusted frontier model access — establishing responsible access structures for the safety and security testing of frontier AI models. IMDA, the Singapore AI Safety Institute and Microsoft will co-author a white paper examining both demand-side needs (government agencies and critical-infrastructure operators that need trusted model access) and supply-side policy considerations (for model providers) — the "Sovereign AI Access" question.

Significance: this is another move in IMDA's "government + industry" approach to building AI governance, sitting on the same strategic line as the Singapore AI Safety Institute-led [international scientific exchange](/policies/international-scientific-exchange-on-ai-safety/) and the [Singapore Consensus](/policies/singapore-consensus-on-global-ai-safety-research-priorities/) — positioning Singapore as a neutral hub for frontier-model safety evaluation and governance. The emphasis on multilingual AI safety also echoes Singapore's distinctive value as a multilingual Southeast Asian society.

Kiren Kumar: "Our collaboration on AI safety with Microsoft demonstrates how government and industry can partner together to drive and scale good governance for the public good."

Natasha Crampton: "Through this partnership with IMDA, we can combine government insight with Microsoft's technical and operational experience to strengthen AI evaluation."