TLDR: The prestigious Design, AI and Tech Awards (DAITA), a collaborative initiative by The Business Times and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), are set to continue their mission of recognizing groundbreaking solutions from startups and large corporations. With a strong emphasis on leveraging design and advanced technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, the awards aim to foster innovation that addresses real-world business challenges. The program, which recently celebrated its inaugural winners, highlights the critical convergence of design thinking and AI in driving economic growth and societal benefit.
Singapore’s innovation landscape continues to thrive with the ongoing commitment of the Design, AI and Tech Awards (DAITA), jointly organized by The Business Times (BT) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). These awards, initially launched in October 2024, are designed to spotlight enterprises – from nimble startups to established large corporations – that are harnessing design and cutting-edge technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI), to develop impactful solutions for pressing business challenges.
The awards underscore a pivotal shift towards integrating AI into design processes, a concept championed by SUTD, which pioneered the world’s first ‘Design and Artificial Intelligence’ degree program. Professor Tai Lee Siang, SUTD’s Deputy President and Chief Innovation and Enterprise Officer, and chairman of the DAITA judging panel, emphasized the transformative power of this convergence. “The unique convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and design is a game changer enabling a larger pool of young talent to become innovators,” he stated. Professor Tai further highlighted that leveraging design and technology can make manufacturing more precise and efficient, reducing reliance on extensive land or unskilled labor, and ultimately producing high-quality products and solutions that benefit society and drive economic growth.
DAITA features three primary categories: Product Design, System Design, and Spatial Design. Each category recognizes three finalists, with a top prize awarded to the most outstanding solution. Submissions are rigorously assessed across six equally weighted criteria: design-thinking process and strategies, originality, utilization of AI and advanced technologies, ethical consideration and sustainability, aesthetic and functional qualities, and quantitative and qualitative impact.
Multi-asset investment firm Granite Asia has joined as a key supporting partner, offering finalists invaluable access to its extensive network and consultation hours with its Senior Managing Partner, Jenny Lee. Ms. Lee noted, “DAITA provides a vital platform to spotlight innovations that showcase the practical impact of AI in addressing complex challenges.” This partnership aims to empower shortlisted companies, unlocking new opportunities and driving further innovation, as affirmed by BT’s Ms. Chen.
The inaugural awards, which concluded in May 2025, celebrated remarkable achievements. Semiconductor optics startup MetaOptics Technologies clinched top honors for Product Design with its innovative color metalens imaging system, which utilizes proprietary AI software to sharpen and improve image vibrancy. LionsBot, an autonomous cleaning robot firm, was recognized in System Design for its robots that significantly reduce water usage and manual labor. Sengkang General Hospital secured the Spatial Design award for its pioneering automated storage and retrieval system, which halved instrument retrieval times and boosted storage capacity by 75%.
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These winners exemplify the awards’ mission to foster solutions that are not only technologically advanced but also ethically sound and sustainable. As Tan Wei Hua, Design Head at LionsBot, remarked, winning the DAITA is “an affirmation that we’re on the right path of bringing design, AI, and tech together.” The awards continue to serve as a crucial platform for recognizing and encouraging the integration of design intelligence and AI to build a more innovative and sustainable future.
