Groundup.ai concluded an intensive Singapore Maritime Week 2026 — launching the industry’s first universal standard for fleet reliability, taking the stage at 3 flagship sessions, meeting with the world’s leading shipping groups, and deepening relationships with the maritime ecosystem. From the PIER71™ Pavilion to the GDSC Networking Luncheon, the week marked a significant milestone in Groundup.ai’s journey from Singapore startup to global maritime intelligence platform.
1/ Launch of Global Machine Benchmark™ — the First Universal Standard for Fleet Reliability
On April 22, 2026, Groundup.ai launched the Global Machine Benchmark™ (GMB), integrated into the new GINA v2 platform, at Singapore Maritime Week. The GMB establishes the first universal standard for making global machinery measurable, comparable, and transparent — closing a gap that has existed in industrial operations for decades.
While finance has credit ratings and buildings have safety certifications, machinery has lacked a consistent ground truth — until now. GINA v2 runs a continuous loop across entire global fleets: Benchmark, Diagnose, Decide, Act, and Improve. As more assets connect, the data flywheel compounds: benchmarks sharpen, prescriptions grow more accurate, and the system improves continuously. Read the press release.
2/ Cited at PIER71™ Smart Port Challenge 2026 Launch by Senior Minister of State
At the official launch of the PIER71™ Smart Port Challenge 2026 — the 10th edition of Singapore’s flagship maritime innovation programme — Senior Minister of State for Transport and Law, Mr Murali Pillai, cited Groundup.ai as an example of what maritime deep-tech can become.
The reference traced Groundup.ai’s journey from its 2020 SPC cohort — where the company was a Grand Finalist and received a Special Mention — through its expansion across Asia and the Middle East, and its growth from seed to Series A.
“Take Groundup.AI, a Singapore-based startup from our 2020 cohort, as an example. Using artificial intelligence to predict equipment failures and optimise asset performance, the startup has expanded across Asia and Middle East, growing from a S$2.3 million seed round to a S$5.4 million Series A. Their journey began here at PIER71.” – Mr Murali Pillai SC, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Law & Ministry of Transport
Leon also delivered a Showcase Pitch at the SPC launch event, presenting Groundup.ai’s progress and vision to an audience of maritime leaders, investors, and government representatives.
3/ Two Sessions — Conference Stage and Tech Stage
The Groundup.ai team participated in two speaking engagements across the SMW programme:
- Conference Main Stage — “In Search of the Next Big Maritime Tech: Startups Rapid Fire”
Leon Lim joined a high-stakes panel of maritime innovators, making the case for Cognitive Maintenance as the next standard for fleet intelligence. - Tech Stage — Agentic AI in Maritime Operations
Yong Tai Chan, Founding Team Member, delivered a deep-tier breakdown of how Agentic AI handles the complexity of maritime hardware, from multi-modal sensor correlation to root cause analysis and prescriptive guidance at scale.
4/ GDSC Networking Luncheon — Connecting with Global Shipping Corridors
On the morning of April 21, Groundup.ai participated in the Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC) Networking Luncheon at Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre, organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in conjunction with SMW 2026.
The exclusive luncheon brought together solution providers and GDSCs spanning Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, the Port of Rotterdam, Port of Los Angeles, and Port of Long Beach — representing the arteries of global industrial trade. MPA’s Chief Executive, Mr Ang Wee Keong, and Assistant Chief Executive (Corporate and Strategy), Mr Tan Hoe Soon, were in attendance.
5/ Three Days at the PIER71™ Pavilion — Booth P07
For the full three days of the SMW expo, Groundbreakers were on the ground at the PIER71™ Pavilion, hosting maritime operators, investors, and industry leaders, and demonstrating the Global Machine Benchmark™ in action. The booth served as the central meeting point for conversations about what fleet intelligence looks like in practice: not alerts, not dashboards, but a continuous loop of benchmarking, diagnosis, and improvement across entire global fleets. Coming back to PIER71™, where Groundup.ai’s journey began as a 2020 Smart Port Challenge Grand Finalist, made the week’s milestones all the more significant.
6/ Portside Synergy. Scaling with PSA Innovation X-celerate
SMW 2026 also marked a deepening of Groundup.ai’s partnership with PSA through the PSA Innovation X-celerate programme — matching Groundup.ai’s deep-tech capabilities directly with PSA’s operational needs across their port network. The next phase of the collaboration is focused on scaling Cognitive Maintenance across PSA’s infrastructure, bringing continuous machine intelligence to one of the world’s most critical logistics ecosystems.
7/ Use-Case Pitch at Future Ready Maritime: Agentic and Embodied AI Adoption
Yong Tai Chan, represented Groundup.ai at the Future Ready Maritime: Agentic and Embodied AI Adoption event co-organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Plug and Play under PIER71™, held in conjunction with SMW 2026. The evening brought together maritime corporates, investors, and ecosystem players to explore the frontier of agentic and embodied AI in maritime operations. Plug and Play launched their trend report on the space, and MPA shared available support schemes for industry AI adoption. Yong Tai presented Groundup.ai’s Cognitive Maintenance use case, demonstrating to the room what agentic AI already looks like in live deployment across maritime fleets, and what the industry can expect as the technology scales.
8/ Tidewater Deployment Announced, and Conversations with NYK and MOL PLUS
Alongside SMW activities, Groundup.ai announced the deployment of its hardware and the commencement of Cognitive Maintenance work with Tidewater — the world’s largest owner and operator of Offshore Support Vessels, with over 200 vessels operating across every major oil basin in the world.
The team also held meetings with NYK Line and MOL PLUS, the CVC arm of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd — reflecting the growing momentum for fleet-wide intelligence solutions among the world’s leading maritime operators.
Singapore Maritime Week 2026: A Signal, not just a Milestone
In a week: a first-of-its-kind global standard launched, stage appearances, government recognition, and commercial momentum. The week confirmed what we already knew. The maritime industry is ready to move past predictive alerts and toward true #CognitiveMaintenance. AI that reasons, diagnoses, and guides. The Global Machine Benchmark™ is live. The data flywheel is turning. The work of making this the global standard has begun.
