The HTX (Home Team Science and Technology Agency) in Singapore has partnered with Mistral AI and Microsoft to augment the agency’s capabilities to develop generative AI models and platforms to enhance Home Team operations.
Such models can be particularly effective in boosting efficiency by automating tasks and generating insights.
HTX has since its inception been leveraging cutting-edge technology to empower Home Team operations. Last year, the agency unveiled its AI movement to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Home Team operations, thus allowing Home Team officers to better serve the public.
“As an agency focused on leveraging cutting-edge science and technology innovations to empower the Home Team, we recognise the potential for AI to significantly improve the efficiency of certain operations, which in turn allows Home Team officers to focus on more critical roles related to enhancing the safety and security of Singapore,” said Ang Chee Wee, HTX chief AI officer and assistant chief executive (digital and enterprise).
Under the contract they signed, Mistral AI and Microsoft will collaborate with HTX as the agency’s research partners.
Microsoft will work with HTX to fine-tune Phi-4-multimodal, a Small Language Model (SLM) for Home Team use cases. HTX will also work with Microsoft on integrating SLM training frameworks into HTX’s AI platform and infrastructure.
Mistral AI will work with HTX on fine-tuning Mistral AI’s Large Language Models (LLMs) for Home Team use, and to build the Home Team’s own series of LLMs, codenamed Phoenix.
Mistral AI will provide its expertise in LLM training, and Microsoft will anchor the technology platform and infrastructure for these initiatives.
“Together we’re building local AI capabilities and delivering technology tailored to the specific needs of our community to keep Singapore safe,” said Wong Sook Huey, public sector director at Microsoft Singapore.
Phoenix has been pre-trained on extensive corpuses of knowledge specific and relevant to the Home Team and Singapore, as well as 10 major languages spoken in Singapore, including Mandarin, Bahasa Melayu, and Tamil. This will allow Home Team officers to get more accurate responses compared to other kinds of LLMs.
Phoenix will be progressively deployed as an AI chatbot accessible to Home Team officers, and as an API for AI developers to build operational applications. This innovation marks a significant step forward in establishing sovereign AI capabilities within the Home Team.
The contract will also involve the deployment of Mistral AI’s platform, which enables inference and fine-tuning of APIs, building custom models for Home Team Departments, and capability development for cutting-edge AI research techniques.
In addition, HTX will develop a single unified platform to host the LLMs and Vision Language Models (VLMs) it develops. A single platform would democratise AI use across the Home Team through providing easier access to AI models.
