SINGAPORE -- Singapore Telecommunications on Thursday launched a new cloud service run through its own Southeast Asia data centers, enabling customers to adopt some of the latest artificial intelligence technology to digitize their day-to-day operation, from building cars to consulting hospital patients.

Beginning with data centers in Singapore, the company's RE:AI cloud service allows companies to access its systems equipped with Nvidia's powerful AI chips called H100 graphics processing units (GPUs) and storages.

"We're significantly reducing entry barriers, making AI easily accessible to enterprises, government agencies, research communities and academics," Bill Chang, CEO of Singtel's infrastructure unit Digital InfraCo, said at the launch event. "The more people have access to AI, the more innovation is bound to emerge, which in turn fuels growth."

In addition to existing cloud services like Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud, users can opt to process certain data through Singtel's platform. For example, car manufacturers could track or streamline their production line by analyzing large volumes of data transmission from multiple sensors in real time, Singtel said.

As part of its effort to push for wider adoption in advanced manufacturing like automotives and robotics, Singtel partnered with a technology center at Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research as well as a local business association and university to trial the AI cloud service with 150 firms over the next three years.

Beyond manufacturing, Singtel also said it will be partnering with a number of startups with leading generative AI applications and platforms for specific industries like healthcare.

Among them is a service by Hippocratic.AI, a California-based startup backed by Nvidia's venture capital arm. The company builds so-called AI "agents" that can assist hospital patients with audio responses. A representative said infrastructure like Singtel's is needed to provide timely responses in real time, while potentially handling sensitive patient data.

Singtel said its data centers would allow companies and governments, which often handle sensitive data, to utilize Nvidia's latest chips in a "sovereign cloud," an environment to ensure that data and workloads stay within a particular country's borders and comply with local laws.

Manoj Prasanna Kumar, Singtel Digital InfraCo's Chief Technology Officer, said the company will progressively offer its AI cloud service from its other regional data centers in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Companies in regional markets will have "quicker" and "more flexible" access to Nvidia's GPU chips, he told reporters.