Analyse Asia with Bernard Leong

"The key message of the report is that the fundamentals of this region are critical, they’re clear, and businesses are doing exactly, I think, what they need to do for us to move ahead." - Sapna Chadha "Given that one of the other themes we’ve had this year is trust, having a strong regulatory foundation and good constructs around that for digital financial services is critical to unlocking the next wave of growth here." - Florian Hoppe "All 10 ASEAN nations have announced their own national strategic AI initiatives or plans, and ASEAN itself has actually released a report and guide on AI governance and ethics. So, I think if you put all that together, it’s very natural that Southeast Asia is, quite frankly, well-positioned to capitalize on the AI trend." - Fock Wai Hoong Fresh out of the studio in Google, Bernard Leong led a discussion on the 2024 Southeast Asia Digital Economy Report, joined by Sapna Chadha (Google), Florian Hope (Bain & Company), and Wai Hoong (Temasek). The panel delved into Southeast Asia's impressive digital growth, with the region’s economy reaching $263 billion in GMV and significant strides in profitability. The panellists examined the key themes which include Southeast Asia’s emergence as an AI hub, driven by $30 billion in AI investments, the rise of video commerce, and the region’s booming digital financial services specifically on embedded insurance. The conversation highlights challenges and opportunities in digital inclusion, AI infrastructure, and regional integration, providing a nuanced outlook on Southeast Asia’s potential. The episode concludes with each panellist sharing their vision for Southeast Asia’s digital future and success metrics for the next decade, emphasizing the region’s unique strengths and long-term global impact. Audio Episode Highlights [00:46] Introduction [02:17] Key Report Insights [04:09] How Sapna, Florian, and Wai Hoong provide perspectives to the key report takeaways [07:00] Investor Perspective on Southeast Asia [10:06] Exiting the Funding Winter [12:44] AI’s Role in Accelerating Growth [14:30] Impact of Video E-commerce [16:23] Growth in Digital Financial Services [18:03] Embedded Insurance in E-commerce [24:12] AI Infrastructure Investment [27:55] Southeast Asia’s Startup Ecosystem [29:45] Generative AI Use Cases [31:06] AI for Revenue and Cost Optimization [34:16] New Internet Users and Digital Inclusion [37:55] Regional Integration as a Success Metric [39:01] Vision for Southeast Asia Digital Economy Success [40:20] Closing Remarks Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/ Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia Sign Up for Our This Week in Asia Newsletter: https://www.analyse.asia/#/portal/signup Subscribe Newsletter on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7149559878934540288

Fresh out of the studio, Jay Park, Chief Development Officer of Digital Edge, explores the rapidly transforming landscape of data centres in the Asia-Pacific region. Kicking off with the story of Jay’s remarkable career in building cutting-edge data centres, we dive into the explosive growth fueled by AI and the innovative cooling and energy solutions Digital Edge is pioneering to address environmental challenges. Jay also examines the impact of advanced AI chips on next-generation data centre engineering and shares his vision of what great would look like to design efficient and sustainable infrastructure in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets. "So if you look at this, according to this recent structural research report, the data centre industry will spend 100 billion dollars, and about 50 per cent of that growth will be happening in APAC. So, this is massive growth. If you look at the data centres, they have to be built where people are to better support them. But we have a new kid on the block. It's called AI servers, and it's something I have never experienced before in any industry, and this is massive. It'll do a lot of things, but it has to do data processing. So you cannot have all these data centres in, let's say, North America, have people in the APAC area grab that data, send it back to the U.S. or North America, do all the processing, and then send it out to APAC. I just don't see that happening. So, they're building the data centres closer to the users, where people are. And then you do all the processing there. The growth is going to be gigantic, and that's what we are seeing today." You can find Jay Park on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-park-b5b579335/ and on Digital Edge: https://www.digitaledgedc.com/about Episode Highlights: [00:00] - Quote of the Day by Jay Park #QOTD [01:07] - Jay Park’s Background [02:38] - Becoming Chief Development Officer at Digital Edge [03:22] - Data Center Evolution and Power Density Growth [05:24] - Digital Edge’s Mission and Approach [07:30] - Supply Chain Challenges and Skid-Mount Equipment [09:25] - Scaling Data Centers for Increased Power Needs [12:19] - Cooling Systems and AI Server Requirements [15:39] - Modular Data Center Design: Pros and Cons [18:57] - Balancing Efficiency, Scalability, and Cost [22:08] - Challenges in Data Center Engineering in APAC [27:25] - AI Chips and Their Impact on Data Centers [31:29] - Principles for Designing Efficient Data Centers [34:04] - Water Usage and Environmental Impact [37:39] - Exciting Advancements in Data Center Technology [42:54] - Advice on Innovation in Data Center Engineering [43:36] - Digital Edge’s Vision for the Future [44:42] - Personal Inspirations and Emerging Technologies [46:26] - Closing Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/ Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia Sign Up for Our This Week in Asia Newsletter: https://www.analyse.asia/#/portal/signup Subscribe Newsletter on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7149559878934540288

In a captivating discussion, Arnaud Bonzom, founder of Black Mangroves and an angel investor, shares keen insights into Southeast Asia's evolving venture capital landscape. He emphasizes the importance of recalibrating expectations for investments and highlights the challenges startups face as funding dynamics shift. Arnaud provides valuable advice on navigating this challenging environment and underlines that while top companies will continue to thrive, the rest must become more capital-efficient to survive. Tune in for a fresh perspective on the region's entrepreneurial future!

"The humans are going to be empowered to become superheroes like Tony Stark, and because you have your loyal A.I. assistant, Jarvis, doing all this stuff in the background, that's the example I always use when I give lectures on this topic. What ends up happening is that you need to make sure you can use A.I. correctly. If you offload too much, offload inappropriately, or become too dependent on AI for tasks where you shouldn't be dependent, then suddenly, you're no longer Tony Stark. You're one of those fat human descendants in Wall-E. The ones who can't even get back in their own chairs because they've forgotten how to walk, they've forgotten how to think, they're being fed a steady diet of soda pop from AI." - Joon Nak Choi Fresh out of the studio, Bernard Leong sits down with Joon Nak Choi, an Adjunct Associate Professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and founder of Learnovate, to dive deep into the future of education and AI. JC shares his career journey and the back story of why he started Learnovate focusing on AI-assisted grading and what it is meant to solve for the users. Last but not least, JC shares his perspectives on how the future of education will evolve with generative AI and explains what success will look like in the next few years. Audio Episode Highlights [0:46] Quote of the Day by Joon Nak Choi aka JC #QOTD [1:53] Introduction to Joon Nak Choi, founder of Learnovate and Associate Professor, HKUST [4:41] JC's Background and Career Path [6:55] Key Lessons from JC's career experience [9:32] Transformative Potential of Generative AI in Education [16:17] AI's Role in Personalized Education [18:42] Integrating AI into the Classroom [20:31] The Importance of Feedback for Student Assignments and How AI transforms this [26:47] Addressing Bias and Ethical Concerns in AI-driven Education Tools [30:57] The Future of Work and AI [34:45] The Need for Human Oversight in AI [38:15] Insights from Student Engagement with AI-driven Education Tools [43:25] Challenges in AI Essay Grading [47:55] AI's Role in Enhancing Educational Outcomes [52:01] Closing Thoughts and Inspirations You can find Joon Nak Choi via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jnchoi123/ and HKUST: https://mgmt.hkust.edu.hk/faculty-and-staff/directory/jnchoi Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/ Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia Sign Up for Our This Week in Asia Newsletter: https://www.analyse.asia/#/portal/signup Subscribe Newsletter on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7149559878934540288

"Well, I think AI makes us, makes me more human in terms of understanding that nirvana or the ultimate achievement is not to be perfect. The ultimate achievement is to be authentic, present, and yourself. I guess it exists in this human dimension. One of the things you realize is that when something is too perfect, whether it's your selfie or something you've written, people start to distrust it. Right now, if I generate or design something, or if I write something and it sounds too fluent and flawless—without accent, pauses, or mistakes—people might suspect that it's not Siok, but actually the digital twin of Siok. One question that people ask me and ask themselves is: how has AI made me more aware of what it means to be human?" - Tan Siok Siok Fresh out of the studio, our host, Bernard Leong sat down with Tan Siok Siok, author of AI for Humanity, for an insightful discussion on the evolving role of AI in our lives. During the conversation, Siok Siok explored how AI makes us more human by emphasizing the importance of authenticity over perfection. They discussed the creative process, with Siok Siok viewing AI as a tool to enhance rather than replace human creativity. The interview also touched on the broader implications of AI, including job displacement and the geopolitical nuances of AI development. Tan Siok Siok shared her thoughts on the need for humans to guide and nurture AI responsibly, dismissing the notion of a doomsday scenario driven by AI. The conversation offered a nuanced perspective on how AI can be a partner in human progress, rather than a threat, encouraging listeners to engage actively with AI’s potential. Audio Episode Highlights: [0:45] Quote of the Day by Tan Siok Siok, co-author of "AI for Humanity" [1:45] Introduction: Tan Siok Siok [5:21] Siok Siok's Sharing of Life Lessons from the Past Decade [7:06] AI and Creative Process [9:51] Origins and Intentions behind the Book "AI for Humanity" [13:34] Explaining AI to a Non-Technical Audience by our host Bernard [15:01] AI's Role in Enhancing Human Abilities [17:10] Different Definitions of AI and AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) [18:45] AI in the Creative Arts and Job Displacement [24:17] Geopolitics and AI [30:21] AI's Role in Upskilling and Global Market Implications [32:01] Doomsday Scenarios and AI Responsibility [37:31] AI as a Tool for Self-Improvement [39:34] Final Reflections on AI's Impact on Humanity [43:44] Closing You can find Siok Siok's new book "AI For Humanity" co-authored with Andeed Ma and James Ong here: https://www.amazon.com/AI-Humanity-Building-Sustainable-Future/dp/1394180306 and follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sioksiok/ Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/ Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia Sign Up for Our This Week in Asia Newsletter: https://www.analyse.asia/#/portal/signup

"Temu was launched in the US, their first market in September 2022. That is when Shein just started to gain a lot of traction. There's a lot of attention being paid to Shein. In the beginning, many people thought that Temu was a copycat of Shein because they both sold goods from China using this direct-from-China shipping model. However, I think the competition has evolved quite differently now, and Temu has done business and operational innovation that has made others, including Shein, have to catch up." - Jing Yang Fresh out of the studio, Jing Yang, the Asia Bureau Chief from The Information shares the ongoing e-commerce war between Amazon and the upstarts: Shein and Temu across the global landscape. Starting from the origins of Shein and Temu, she explained how both companies first expanded to the US enabled by Amazon. Jing Yang breaks down how Temu gains total control over its suppliers and sellers and subsequently threatens Amazon's e-commerce dominance in the US market. Last but not least, she examined the fallout from the potential US ban on Shein and Temu from US lawmakers and the possibility of Shein's IPO in the US. Episode Highlights: [0:46] QOTD [1:27] Introduction: Jing Yang, Asia Bureau Chief from The Information [2:34] The surprise of Open AI not allowing ChatGPT to be in Hong Kong and China. [5:29] You need a China mobile number to access Chinese LLMs. [6:48] Introduction to Shein and Temu, the global e-commerce upstarts originating from China. [9:59] The elusive people behind Shein and Temu. [13:29] Shein’s current performance against H&M, Zara, and Uniqlo. [18:12] How Authentic Brands (owner of Forever 21) made a partnership & investment deal with Shein in the US. [23:09] How Temu maintains control over the supply chain in China. [31:23] Comparisons between Temu and Amazon from the seller to business models. [34:51] How Amazon enabled Shein and Temu to expand into the US. [35:38] Amazon’s realization of Temu’s threat and response. [36:58] Amazon’s response to Shein and Temu’s threats in the US market. [38:56] Temu is copying Amazon in the US with a local warehouse strategy and vice versa. [42:08] How Amazon vs Temu & Shein shaped the global e-commerce landscape. [43:54] How reliant is Amazon on Chinese sellers and suppliers globally? [45:30] Why the US lawmakers are thinking about a ban on Temu. Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig. Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/ Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia Sign Up for Our This Week in Asia Newsletter: https://www.analyse.asia/#/portal/signup

Minyoung Kim, Netflix's VP of Content for Asia Pacific, shares insights on bringing Asian content to a global audience. She emphasizes understanding the audience, building meaningful relationships, and cultural adaptation. The podcast discusses Netflix's strategy, success with shows like Squid Game, and empowering Asian content creators.

"We have these very ambitious goals and we've spoken about a few, but there are many others in Europe. In particular, the E.U. and countries like the U.K. have very ambitious climate goals. For Google, we want to be part of the solution. So, good for me is, we make progress on our goals in our own operations, but we really want to help others. And we actually have this as a global goal rather than a regional goal, an ambition to help others save a "gigaton" worth of emissions every year from 2030 onwards. A "gigaton" is the emissions of Japan, just to put that in perspective. So, I want a big slug of that to come from the work we are doing in helping companies and other organizations and individuals within my region to help them make more sustainable choices." - Adam Elman Fresh out of the studio, Adam Elman, Head of Sustainability for EMEA at Google, shares the key initiatives of the company in Europe. We begin with Adam discussing his career journey, explaining how he came to lead key sustainability initiatives at Google and the innovative measures taken to enhance energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. He highlights the Environmental Insights Explorer, the challenges of achieving 100% renewable energy, and the role of AI in sustainability. Adam offers valuable advice for companies starting their sustainability journeys and emphasizes the importance of engagement, transparency, and accountability. Last but not least, he describes what great would look like for Google in its sustainability efforts. Audio Episode Highlights: [0:45] Quote of the Day by Adam Elman #QOTD [2:21] Introduction: Adam Elman, Head of Sustainability for Google: Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA). [5:12] Lessons from Adam’s career journey [6:32] Overview of Google’s sustainability initiatives globally [8:13] Google’s sustainability initiatives in EMEA [10:19] What constitutes carbon-free energy? [11:41] How Google uses AI for energy efficiency in data centres. [13:01] Other applications of Google AI in sustainability. [15:15] The One Thing Adam Elman knows about sustainability that very few do. [18:30] Environmental Insights Explorer by Google [20:08] Google Maps and how it helps the city of Dublin to increase cycling by 20%. [26:20] Advice to companies which are beginning on their sustainability journey. [28:33] What does great look like for Google on sustainability? [29:51] Closing Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/ Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia Sign Up for Our This Week in Asia Newsletter: https://www.analyse.asia/#/portal/signup Subscribe Newsletter on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7149559878934540288

"I don't like to work with someone unless they're intrinsically motivated to do it. And so what I mean by that is, I don't think this is a service that you should sell to people. They should demand it and then they're looking in the market for someone to work with them. So I don't like to go out there and sell it per se. And so I used to get some early inbound from boards or investors to say, "Hey, we've got this person. We think they're struggling or we think they've got a bit more potential, they need some help." And then when I spoke to that person, it was very evident that they were reluctantly doing this. So you've got a bit of a principal-agent problem there, right? Where the person you're working with is not incentivized or motivated to do the work. And so I typically now say "no" to those things. What I might do is maybe get an introduction from the board, but then I'll check with the person I'm working with. "Do you want this right now? Are you motivated to do the work?" Because as you said, it is a lot of work on the coachee as well, right - to do the reflection work and, take action. I'm trying to avoid that principal-agent problem. I want to make sure that the person I'm working with is deeply interested and invested in driving some change." - Parin Mehta Fresh out of the studio, Parin Mehta, venture partner at Menyala and executive coach, shared his journey into executive coaching. He explained how his experiences inspired him to help leaders navigate their careers with intrinsic motivation and commitment, considering cultural nuances and the evolving business landscape. Parin discussed strategies for professional growth, the importance of peer mentorship, and his innovative approach to integrating AI into coaching. He also shared his vision of what success looks like for him as an executive coach in the Asia Pacific region. Audio Episode Highlights: [0:40] Quote of the Day by Parin Mehta. #QOTD [1:36] Introduction: Parin Mehta. [5:37] What Parin learned from working in a high-growth tech company: Google & Airbnb. [6:49] Lessons learned from Parin Mehta on his career journey. [8:35] The story of how Parin becomes an executive coach and certified as one. [11:16] Why and How executives approach an executive coach. [13:45] Parin Mehta’s philosophy in executive coaching. [16:30] Bernard’s journey in working with Parin on his transition. [18:45] Should we focus on short-term and long-term goals when we engage executive coaches? [19:36] Challenges and specific cultural nuances faced by Executive Coaches in the Asia Pacific. [23:29] Perspectives on Generative AI in executive coaching. [24:04] How does the actual coaching session work? [25:39] Seeking an accountability partner in executive coaching. [27:42] The difference between mentoring and coaching. [29:48] Sharing stories on executive coaching. [35:04] Executive coaching for startup founders in the Southeast Asia ecosystem [37:38] How executive coaches grow and develop professionally. [40:54] The one thing Parin knows about executive coaching in the Asia Pacific that very few do. [44:36] AI bot for executive coaching. [47:31] The weekly prompts for coachparin.com [50:36] What does great look like for Parin in executive coaching? [51:24] Closing. Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G. Thomas Craig You can find Parin on his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parinjmehta/ and X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/coachparin and more on him here: https://www.coachparin.com Analyse Asia Main Site: https://analyse.asia Analyse Asia Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kkRwzRZa4JCICr2vm0vGl Analyse Asia Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/analyse-asia-with-bernard-leong/id914868245 Analyse Asia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnalyseAsia Analyse Asia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/ Analyse Asia X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/analyseasia Analyse Asia Threads: https://www.threads.net/@analyseasia Sign Up for Our This Week in Asia Newsletter: https://www.analyse.asia/#/portal/signup Subscribe Newsletter on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7149559878934540288

Isaac Tay, a product management expert, shares insights on product management in scale-up companies. He discusses tailoring strategies for delivering successful products, career transitions in Singapore's tech industry, lessons from failed startups, essential skills for product managers, and the essence of great product management. He also reflects on personal experiences in stand-up comedy and travel, highlighting the importance of leadership values and diverse interests in navigating the complexities of product management.