SINGAPORE – British tech firm Dyson has begun moving into its new headquarters, which will be opened officially next year, at the historic St James Power Station.
The first phase of the major restoration that the facility in Sentosa Gateway is undergoing is now complete, the company said in a release on Friday (Nov 19).
Dyson chief executive Roland Krueger said: “We are honoured to bring this iconic building back to life as our global headquarters – Dyson’s scientists and engineers will add to its already significant history through the discoveries they make and the technologies they develop.
“We would like to thank the Singapore Government and everyone who made it possible for us to move in ahead of schedule. We look forward to officially opening the space next year.”
The company announced plans to turn St James Power Station into its new global headquarters in 2019. The building, which has a gross floor area of 110,000 sq ft, is expected to double the company’s research and engineering footprint in Singapore.
Dyson employs about 1,400 people in Singapore, and said in April that it will be hiring 250 more engineers and scientists over the next five years as it expands further into areas such as robotics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Singapore is a hub for the firm’s engineering teams, as well as its commercial, advanced manufacturing and supply chain operations.
Last year, the company announced a £2.75 billion (S$5 billion) global investment in future technology.
As part of this plan, St James Power Station will house new state-of-the-art research laboratories, with a focus on power electronics, energy storage, sensors, vision systems, embedded software, robotics, AI, machine learning and connected devices.
Other firms that have moved into new offices in Singapore this year include Swiss bank UBS and gaming tech firm Razer.
UBS officially opened its new Penang Road premises – its largest in the Asia-Pacific region – earlier this week.
Last month, Razer unveiled its $100 million South-east Asia headquarters in business hub one-north in Buona Vista and announced plans to increase its staff strength from 600 to about 1,000 by 2023.