NCS unveils AI partnerships for public safety in APAC

NCS has announced a series of artificial intelligence partnerships focused on public safety in Singapore and the wider Asia Pacific region.

The agreements cover data infrastructure, behaviour analytics and physical AI to support government agencies operating in complex, high-risk environments.

They include work with Mistral AI on AI systems for organisations in regulated and secure settings; a collaboration with VAST Data on a real-time data platform for video analysis; a partnership with Lian Xin on psychological analytics; and an arrangement with AGIBOT and Huazhi Tiancheng on humanoid and robotics-based systems.

Sam Liew, Chief Executive Officer of NCS, outlined the rationale for the programme.

"Public safety environments demand a high level of reliability, which is why technology must be built and deployed for live, operational use," Liew said. "These partnerships bring together the right expertise, from data infrastructure and advanced intelligence to Physical AI, to build mission-critical AI systems that public safety agencies can rely on, so that operators on the ground can sense threats earlier, make faster decisions and respond more safely in complex, fast-moving environments."

Regulated environments

Under the partnership with Mistral AI, NCS will combine its systems integration capabilities with Mistral's AI models to support deployment in organisations with strict regulatory and security requirements. The work is intended for operational use in sectors where reliability and control are central to adoption.

Mistral AI, based in France, has built its profile around generative AI models and related infrastructure, with an international presence that includes Singapore and the UK. For NCS, the link-up adds a model provider to its public sector and regulated-industry work across the region.

Data platform

NCS is also working with VAST Data to build what it describes as a unified, real-time data foundation for AI-led video intelligence and command decisions. The project will use the VAST AI OS to support video analytics in mission-critical settings.

The focus on data architecture reflects a broader challenge for public agencies and large organisations adopting AI: fragmented systems and isolated datasets can slow analysis and limit the usefulness of automated tools. The VAST set-up is intended to remove data silos and improve access to information across environments.

Video analytics is a growing area of spending in security and public safety, especially for control rooms and frontline teams that need rapid interpretation of large camera feeds. By linking the analytics layer to a real-time data system, NCS is positioning the partnership around operational decision-making rather than back-office analysis.

Behaviour analysis

Another part of the programme centres on Lian Xin, an enterprise AI deployment company focused on psychology- and behaviour-based models. The partnership will apply AI-based psychological analytics to areas including border control, correctional facilities, investigative interviews and community supervision.

The companies also said the tools could be used in officer training, recruitment and daily operational tasks, including patrol work, incident reporting and shift coordination. The stated aim is to add AI-driven insight to human decision-making rather than replace operational staff.

That places the collaboration in a sensitive area of public-sector technology, where behavioural assessment and surveillance tools often draw scrutiny for accuracy, bias and oversight. The announcement did not set out deployment timelines or identify specific agency customers.

Physical AI

NCS has separately signed a memorandum of understanding with AGIBOT and Huazhi Tiancheng to develop physical AI systems for Singapore and the wider Asia Pacific market. The work will combine NCS's integration and localisation capabilities with AGIBOT's humanoid platforms and Huazhi Tiancheng's customisation services.

The companies said they will focus on systems for complex, high-risk operational environments, with an emphasis on safe deployment in real settings. Physical AI, a term increasingly used to describe AI integrated into robots and embodied systems, is drawing attention from governments and industrial groups exploring automation beyond software tools.

AGIBOT said it rolled out its 10,000th robot earlier this year, marking a production milestone. Huazhi Tiancheng describes itself as a humanoid robotics systems integrator with proprietary products including the OneIt and OneRobot series.

NCS employs about 15,000 people across Asia-Pacific and is part of Singtel. The latest partnerships show the company expanding its public safety AI network through specialist suppliers in language models, data systems, behavioural analysis and robotics.

The announcement leaves open the question of how quickly these projects will move from pilot work to live deployment. Still, it indicates where NCS sees demand emerging in government technology: systems that can help agencies sense, decide and act faster in operational settings.