- MiniMax Agent, Hailuo AI and MiniMax Audio join ChatGPT Plus and Google AI Pro in a six-month free AI tool bundle
- The move gives Chinese consumer AI a new route into overseas users through a government-backed national training initiative
China’s AI upstart MiniMax has brought three of its AI products into Singapore’s national AI skills program through Singtel’s AI Pass, making them among the first Chinese AI-native tools included in the country’s public AI training system.
The program, launched on September 16, offers people who take more than 200 AI-related courses free six-month subscriptions to advanced AI tools.
MiniMax’s offerings, including MiniMax Agent, Hailuo AI and MiniMax Audio, are among the tools available.
According to Singapore’s MySkillsFuture platform, citizens aged 18 and above who enroll in eligible courses can apply for the benefits.
Participants can choose from ChatGPT Plus, Google AI Pro, Microsoft 365 Personal and Singtel AI Pass.
MiniMax’s three products and Manus AI are the only Chinese AI-native applications included in the Singtel bundle.
A national AI education initiative
The initiative is part of Singapore’s push to make AI skills more widely accessible. In March, the country’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information launched the National AI Impact Programme, which aims to help 100,000 workers develop practical AI skills and support 10,000 businesses in deepening their use of AI over three years.
Singapore had previously provided AI training to more than 10,000 Singtel employees. The latest program extends that effort to the wider population.
A shift in customer outreach
For Chinese AI companies expanding overseas, the partnership marks a shift in how their products can reach foreign consumers.
Chinese AI has largely expanded internationally through API access, open-source models and enterprise partnerships, while direct exposure to ordinary overseas users has remained more limited.
MiniMax’s inclusion in a nationwide training program puts its products alongside mainstream US offerings such as ChatGPT Plus and Google AI Pro, giving the company a new form of institutional exposure in an overseas market.
A gateway to broader regional markets
The move also fits MiniMax’s increasingly international business. Overseas revenue accounted for about 60% of the company’s total revenue in the first half of 2026, according to its financial statement.
Since Singapore positions itself as a regional AI hub, the use of Chinese AI tools in a national skills program could provide MiniMax with a foothold as other Southeast Asian markets expand their own AI training and adoption efforts.
Header image credit: MiniMax
