SINGAPORE, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Google DeepMind said on

Wednesday it is opening a new artificial intelligence research

lab in Singapore that will focus on collaboration with

governments, businesses, and academic institutions across Asia.

The AI unit owned by Alphabet said it had doubled

its Asia-based team over the past year and already begun hiring

for the lab.

Google DeepMind Chief Operating Officer Lila Ibrahim said

the research lab was still deciding its research agenda, but

would focus on education, healthcare, and science.

Executives told reporters that Southeast Asian markets had

some of the highest AI adoption rates in the world.

(Reporting by Fanny Potkin; Editing by Muralikumar

Anantharaman)