One-North rezoning to double space for start-ups, including new AI park

AI generated

SINGAPORE – Proposed zoning changes will effectively double the amount of floor space to build facilities for Singapore’s start-up ecosystem in the One-North area, including an upcoming artificial intelligence park.

LaunchPad @ One-North, which consists of 9.82 hectares – roughly equivalent to 14 football fields – will be assigned a gross plot ratio (GPR) of 2.5, up from the overall gross plot ratio of slightly more than 1.0 today.

LaunchPad was started by JTC in 2015 as a hub to bring together start-ups, incubators, accelerators and venture capitalists in a collaborative ecosystem.

Since its launch, it has housed over 2,400 start-ups, including Carousell, PatSnap, and Nium, and hosts more than 30 incubators, accelerators, and venture capital firms.

Industrial developer JTC Corporation said that the doubling of the permissible floor space lets it rejuvenate LaunchPad as one integrated development, allowing a mix of uses to strengthen the start-up ecosystem.

“This includes the adaptive reuse of two existing flatted factories as Kampong AI’s AI block and accommodation block,” said JTC, referring to a new AI park set up to attract promising start-ups, which the Ministry of Trade and Industry announced in March.

Currently, the LaunchPad comprises different zones. Most of the estate is designated for business parks, but without a set development intensity as yet. Smaller plots are zoned for business parks with GPRs of 5.0 and 4.0, alongside plots set aside for mixed-use development and roads.

With the proposed rezoning, JTC will also be able to incorporate new event spaces, sports facilities, networking areas, and more food and beverage options across the estate.

There will also be enhanced sheltered connectivity between blocks, including new covered linkways.

Work to rejuvenate the Launchpad is already under way, with a tender to design and build the AI block for Kampong AI launched on July 29. The completed block will provide 14,500 sq m of business park space, including event and collaboration spaces, for up to 70 companies. The tender closes on Aug 24.

Separate tenders for the accommodation block, as well as for estate improvement, will be launched progressively.

Kampong AI is slated for completion by 2028.