Despite ongoing macroeconomic and political challenges in the Philippines, the country’s tech ecosystem received a major boost as Singapore-based artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation firm Temus announced a strategic investment in Thinking Machines Data Science. The Manila-founded AI leader is also OpenAI’s first official services partner in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
The deal highlights a major shift in Southeast Asia’s tech landscape: regional giants are turning to Philippine-built talent and engineering to drive complex, enterprise-grade AI deployments across the region.
Temus, a 500-strong firm based in Singapore that keynotes critical initiatives under Singapore’s Smart Nation and National AI Strategy, selected Thinking Machines for its decade-long track record in solving complex data architecture and operationalizing production-ready AI systems.
For Temus, investing in Thinking Machines is direct recognition that the Philippines possesses world-class engineering, data governance, and execution capabilities required for high-stakes enterprise applications.
‘Many enterprises are navigating the challenge of running AI systems that hold up under real operating conditions-constrained data, regulatory requirements, complex workflows,’ said Sng Ren Yeong, Chief Executive Officer of Temus. ‘Thinking Machines brings deep capability in that layer of the problem. This investment connects two parts of the system that need to work as one: how AI is built, and how it is made to operate at scale.’
Sng emphasized that the strategic backing goes beyond market expansion-it reflects shared roots and belief in local talent. ‘This investment is a recognition of a shared mission-two teams that were each built by people who came home to build. Thinking Machines gains the reach and resources of the Temus group. Temus gains a team that has been doing serious AI delivery work for over a decade,’ he added.
Founded in Manila in 2015 by Stephanie Sy, Thinking Machines has proven that Philippine technology firms can achieve elite international standards. The company was named OpenAI’s first APAC Services Partner and recently achieved OpenAI Advanced Partner status-a testament to its field-tested reliability across diverse operating environments.
‘We built Thinking Machines on the belief that the Philippines can build up and scale world-class AI capability,’ said Sy, founder and CEO of Thinking Machines, who will also take on the role of managing director of Applied AI and Data at Temus. ‘Joining the Temus group allows us to pursue that ambition at a much greater scale while staying true to our team, our clients, and our mission.’
Across Southeast Asia, enterprises are rushing to move past the experimental ‘pilot’ phase of AI into full workflow integration. However, companies continue to grapple with fragmented data, legacy systems, and talent gaps.
By combining Thinking Machines’ specialist AI execution, OpenAI expertise, and regional delivery experience with Temus’ enterprise reach and transformation infrastructure, the partnership offers a seamless, end-to-end framework covering data engineering, governance, workflow integration, and workforce capability building.
Over the past ten years, Thinking Machines has established a formidable track record out of Manila, serving over 110 clients, training more than 10,000 professionals in AI applications, and deploying hundreds of production-grade systems across financial services, retail, conglomerates, and civic organizations.
Now operating as a Temus entity with offices in Manila, Singapore, and Bangkok, Thinking Machines’ expanded resources backed by Temus signal a bright trajectory for Philippine technology leaders-proving that Philippine-born innovation is fully equipped to power the region’s digital future.