SINGAPORE, April 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. data center firm Digital Realty said Thursday it plans to invest nearly 7 billion Singapore dollars (about 5.49 billion U.S. dollars) in Singapore, underscoring the city-state's growing role as an artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure hub in the Asia Pacific.

More than 4.3 billion Singapore dollars will be allocated to new data center developments, building on its existing footprint in the market, the firm said in a statement.

"Singapore is emerging as a critical hub for AI inference in the Asia Pacific," said Serene Nah, managing director and head of Asia Pacific of Digital Realty.

Digital Realty has also expanded its local workforce to over 300 employees, nearly doubling in the past three years, and expects to grow to about 400 by 2030.

The company recently relocated its regional office within Singapore and plans further expansion next year. ■