O-Sense
Razer™, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today celebrated the groundbreaking of its upcoming Southeast Asia headquarters in Singapore with a ceremony graced by Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat, Chairman of Singapore Economic Development Board Dr. Beh Swan Gin, and CEO of JTC Corporation, Mr. Ng Lang.
The groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of the construction of a new landmark building containing 19,300 square meters of office space, R&D labs, and design studios spread across seven stories.
The new SEA headquarters, which is also one of two global headquarters of the company, is expected to be ready for move-in by mid-2020 and will house more than 1,000 employees. It is strategically located in one-north, a 200-hectare business park that is home to a vibrant ecosystem of global multi-nationals, local enterprises, startups and research institutes in knowledge-intensive industries such as info-communications technology, media, and biomedical sciences.
“We’ve come a long way since Razer single-handedly kick started the gaming and esports industry close to 15 years ago,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. “The phenomenal growth of gaming and esports across the world has propelled us to become one of the first billion-dollar lifestyle brands for gamers, and we can’t wait to move into our new home to better serve the 2.3 billion gamers across the world.”
“Against the backdrop of rapid technological advancements and growing customer sophistication, we have no doubt that Razer’s new Southeast Asia Headquarters in Singapore will enable them to continue trailblazing within the gaming industry. At their new home, Razer will develop and scale new products, services, business models and partnerships, as well as invest in new technologies such as AI, Data Analytics, IoT and Cloud. These are important drivers for business innovation and will create new-tech jobs and skills for Singaporeans to succeed in the digital economy,” says Kiren Kumar, Assistant Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).
Signature design elements and industry-leading features
Sporting an unmistakable Razer aesthetic, the new headquarters features the company’s signature design elements as well as cutting-edge tech that adds a touch of environmental friendliness.
Designed as the most distinctive architectural icon in one-north, the building will come alive with millions of colors streaking across the hallmark Razer black and green façade, with plans to be powered by Razer’s Chroma lighting technology that is used by gamers worldwide.
In addition, the building will feature several smart solutions to boost its environmental friendliness, reduce its carbon footprint, and enhance the everyday working experience for Razer staff.
Lush greenery on the ground and mid-level sky terraces are integrated with communal spaces and public pedestrian thoroughfares to facilitate social interactions. Public events will also be held at these communal areas to promote a vibrant knowledge-sharing environment, such as product showcases, industry exhibitions, expert-led forum discussions and more.
In support of Singapore’s car-lite vision, the headquarters will include facilities encouraging employees to engage in alternative modes of commuting, such as cycling. Bicycle parking will be abundant, as well as locker room and shower facilities to ensure staff can face the day fresh.
Razer will also explore the use of alternative sources of clean energy such as solar power and batteries to power certain features of the building.
Developing future leaders of gaming and esports
To support the exponential growth of the company, the gaming industry, and the esports community, Razer plans to increase its investment in the talent development in Singapore, both in quantity and quality.
Currently, the company employs around 400 staff in its Singapore office, spanning roles from product development, sales and marketing, legal, finance and more.
By the end of 2020, Razer expects to increase staff by 2.5 times to 1,000 employees. This includes adding headcount to support the expansion of existing business units, as well as in emerging new business areas to cement its leadership as the world’s largest integrated ecosystem for gamers.
Razer will also increase its investment in internal skills training for its employees, which will be conducted in-house in the new HQ and across all offices globally. This will deepen staff proficiencies not only in their areas of expertise, but also broaden their skillsets in other areas to better support cross-functional development.
Disrupting traditional real estate development
Today’s groundbreaking ceremony also marked the announcement of Echo Base, a next-generation digital real estate start-up. Echo Base aims to disrupt traditional real estate development by incorporating a seamless digital layer – including Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and other next-generation technologies into real estate development projects.
Operating in stealth mode over the past few months, Echo Base will focus on the development, investment and management of smart buildings and integrated developments in Asia Pacific and selected global gateway cities.
Echo Base’s maiden project is the new Razer SEA headquarters and it has also secured its first smart city project in the region to be developed over the next few years. More details about this smart city project will be revealed in the coming months.
Echo Base is backed by SGX Mainboard-listed Boustead Projects Limited and Moor House Capital Pte Ltd, an investment holding company majority-controlled by Min-Liang Tan, co-founder and CEO of Razer.
For more details, please click here to read the full Echo Base press release.
