According to the Confluent "2026 Data Streaming Report," 78% of IT executives in Singapore said that lack of infrastructure for real-time data processing slowed down AI adoption. A survey of 4,625 IT leaders from 14 countries found that 72% of companies face three or more challenges in scaling up AI initiatives, and in Singapore the figure is 78%.

Key barriers include insufficient infrastructure for flow data (72%, up from 61% in 2025), a shortage of AI specialists (71%), uncertainty about data quality (66%), fragmented data ownership (65%), and difficulty integrating new sources (64%). For Singapore, the lack of real-time infrastructure has been the most painful barrier to deploying agent AI, which requires instant solutions based on up-to-date information.

More than 73% of Singapore’s IT executives reported suspensions in this direction - figures comparable to those for the Asia-Pacific region (74% frozen and 53% closed). Meanwhile, 86% of Singaporean leaders consider data streaming to be a top investment priority alongside AI and machine learning solutions.