BeeX and SIT Launch AI-Powered Underwater Inspection Test Site at Punggol

The Singapore Institute of Technology and homegrown marine robotics firm BeeX have opened the Autonomous Marine Foundry at SIT's Punggol Campus, a dedicated test site for AI-powered autonomous underwater vehicles. The facility marks a significant step in Singapore's push to commercialise maritime robotics for coastal protection, environmental monitoring, and infrastructure inspection.

Singapore has positioned itself as a neutral and trusted hub for international technology collaboration, and the Autonomous Marine Foundry exemplifies this strategy by bringing together academic research, industry partnerships, and real-world testing. The facility will support BeeX's trials of its Betta autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), which uses a proprietary autonomy stack combining robotic control, navigation and path planning, and onboard decision-making modules — all without a physical tether to a surface vessel.

BeeX operates on an "Inspection as a Service" model rather than selling hardware, and has been collecting underwater data for 14 years, giving it what co-founder Grace Chia calls a significant data moat. The company is active across eight countries including Singapore, Germany, Malaysia, Taiwan, and the Netherlands, serving clients such as ST Engineering, Shell, Chevron, and PUB. Its current customer mix is 70% defence and 30% commercial, with a target of reaching a 50-50 split as the maritime security landscape shifts with rising geopolitical tensions.

The facility can cut inspection costs by roughly half by using existing vessels near survey sites, with mobilisation possible within seven to 14 days. SIT will integrate the partnership into its Integrated Work Study Programme, starting with one student in 2026 and targeting two to three per year going forward, covering mechanical engineering, robotics, AI, and computing disciplines. The foundry also supports Singapore's Coastal Protection and Flood Management Research Programme by enabling frequent testing without costly offshore trials.

Why it matters for Singapore: As a maritime nation surrounded by busy shipping lanes, critical underwater infrastructure, and a growing offshore energy sector, Singapore's ability to autonomously inspect pipelines, telecom cables, and coastal defences is both an economic and national security priority. The BeeX-SIT partnership demonstrates how Singapore's AI talent pipeline and startup ecosystem can combine to solve hard engineering problems that have clear commercial and strategic value.