NUHS, Singtel & Ericsson Establish Singapore's First 6G AI Healthcare

The National University Health System (NUHS), Singtel and Ericsson have expanded their strategic partnership to advance healthcare research, technology development and professional education through next-generation connectivity. The three organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on November 5, 2026, focusing on 5G-Advanced, future 6G technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and connected healthcare applications.

The extended collaboration will bring together academic, clinical and industry expertise to accelerate research and development while creating opportunities for healthcare and technology professionals to develop skills in emerging fields. As part of the partnership, Singtel and Ericsson will become founding partners of NUHS' newly established National University XG AI Centre (NXAC).

The centre is designed to serve as a platform for developing and translating network-enabled healthcare applications. Bringing together specialists from healthcare, telecommunications and technology, NXAC will support the development and validation of applications using next-generation network infrastructure and AI technologies. It is positioned as the world's first 6G AI centre dedicated to healthcare and Singapore's first translational research and development centre aimed at serving the global healthcare community.

Under the partnership, NUHS will contribute clinical, academic and research leadership, while Ericsson will bring expertise in mobile network technologies, network architecture and future 6G research. Singtel will contribute its capabilities in advanced network deployment and services.

A key focus of the collaboration is building research capabilities at the intersection of healthcare, telecommunications, AI and robotics. The partners plan to introduce joint training programmes, fellowships and internships, alongside clinician-engineer collaborations. These initiatives are intended to bring healthcare and technology expertise closer together and support professionals working across both disciplines.

NXAC will also function as a practical research environment where emerging technologies can be evaluated before wider implementation. Researchers and industry partners will work alongside clinicians, nurses and hospital operations teams to develop and test solutions within an operational healthcare setting.

The organizations also intend to jointly pursue public research and innovation funding. Their plans include establishing a corporate laboratory or an equivalent industry-public research programme hosted by NUHS and conducted through NXAC.

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Professor Yeoh Khay Guan, Chief Executive of NUHS, highlighted the importance of translating advanced networks and AI into practical applications that benefit patients and healthcare professionals across the health system's 14 entities. Potential applications include autonomous mobile robots for hospital logistics and patient care, connected devices that extend healthcare into homes, AI-enabled systems and technologies supporting advanced surgeries.

The partnership aims to support a healthcare environment where care becomes more proactive, personalized and continuous, extending beyond hospitals into patients' homes and communities.

Connected wearables could enable continuous patient monitoring and preventive care, while ambient AI and contactless sensing technologies could help healthcare teams understand patient conditions and identify potential risks. Within hospitals, autonomous robots could assist with logistics, medication delivery and patient support.

Other areas of development include spatial intelligence and sensing to improve the monitoring of people, assets and hospital activities. AI, digital twins and predictive technologies could also support smarter healthcare facilities by improving operational reliability and sustainability.

Extended-reality technologies are another area of interest, with potential applications in robot-assisted surgery, holographic guidance, clinical training and remote specialist collaboration. These technologies could also support healthcare education by providing new ways for professionals to access guidance and collaborate across locations.

NXAC will initially explore applications supported by 5G and 5G-Advanced capabilities, with its programme designed to evolve towards early 6G technologies.

The planned initiatives include simulation-to-real-world development, which will allow physical and AI-enabled systems to be trained and tested in simulated hospital environments before deployment. The centre will also explore autonomous healthcare facilities, connected medical devices, wearables, autonomous medical robotics and medical extended reality.

Singtel Singapore Chief Executive Officer Ng Tian Chong said the partnership provides an opportunity to rethink healthcare delivery as Singapore prepares for an ageing population and increasingly complex medical needs. He highlighted the role of advanced network and digital capabilities in supporting an intelligent and connected healthcare system.

Daniel Ode, Head of Ericsson Singapore, Brunei and Philippines and Global Customer Unit Singtel, emphasized that next-generation applications such as robotic surgery, holomedicine and remote monitoring require reliable network performance. He noted that the collaboration would help translate research and advanced network capabilities into clinical practice.

Through NXAC, NUHS, Singtel and Ericsson aim to strengthen collaboration between healthcare professionals, researchers and technology specialists. By combining research, professional training and real-world testing, the partnership seeks to support the development of future healthcare applications while contributing to Singapore's position in connected healthcare innovation.