What to Know About Punggol Digital District, Singapore's Much-Awaited Smart Park of the Future

Nations can take a leaf out of Singapore's book when it comes to embracing technology and innovation towards a digital economy. As digital technologies continue to transform the world, nations must learn to keep up with the pace and welcome innovation or risk getting left behind.

In Singapore, there's a specific government unit under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) called the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO), headed by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, that's solely dedicated to planning the city-state's Smart Nation projects and digital transformation.

SNDGO's Strategic National Projects include GoBusiness, a platform for Singaporean businesses to access government services and resources; CODEX, a shared digital platform between government agencies and the private sector; E-Payments, which makes financial transactions seamless for those in the city-state; and Singpass or the National Digital Identity (NDI) initiative. There's also LifeSG, which allows Singaporeans easy access to government services; the Smart Nation Sensor Platform, a nationwide platform that collects data to create smart solutions; and Smart Urban Mobility, wherein digital technologies are used to come up with smart solutions for Singapore's public transportation.

Yet if there’s one project of the SNDGO that can perhaps be called its most ambitious yet (Singapore’s smart nation dreams only keep getting bigger and bigger, after all), it’s got to be Punggol Smart Town, also known as the Punggol Digital District.

Set to open two years from now in 2024, Punggol Digital District is the union of business, academia, government, and high-tech lifestyle in one vibrant ecosystem where students, scholars, families, and entrepreneurs can come together, interact, and concretise ideas.

Punggol Digital District is conveniently located between Changi Airport and Seletar Airport, making it an easy reach from anywhere by anyone in Singapore.

A Smart Hub for Smart Businesses

For Singapore's smart businesses, Punggol Digital District will be their one-stop hub to help them be the best in the industry. The district offers smart offices and facilities, a conducive environment to test-bed ideas through the Open Digital Platform (a feature that allows businesses to access the entire district's data seamlessly) and Digital Twin (a virtual version of the district made from data for safe testing of ideas), and an industry-academia collaboration that will see the establishment of a new campus of Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) in the district.

A Pedagogic Center for Lifelong Learners

With the establishment of a new SIT campus in Punggol Digital District, students will have access to high-tech facilities and be taught under a work-learn pedagogy with sought-after degrees like engineering, information communications, allied health, and more. SIT's philosophy of applied learning will not just see its students work alongside industry professionals and veterans, but also help them develop prized skills for the real world.

A Playground of the ‘Digital Generation’

Forget about automobiles when in Punggol Digital District. You'll see less of cars in this "car-lite, tech-heavy" district, with connected pathways made for eco-friendly commuting and bicycling. There will also be fully electric autonomous buses for traveling, but minus the carbon footprint.

Shopping, dining, and nature will take center stage in Punggol Digital District with the Market Village’s wide range of restaurants and Nexus for some retail therapy. Nature lovers can bask in the district's planned heritage trail, Promenade Plaza, and urban rooftop farms. There will also be childcare centres and a playground, a community club, and a hawker centre within this smart town.