Razer celebrates the launch of its upcoming Southeast Asia headquarters in Singapore with a groundbreaking ceremony graced by Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat, Chairman of Singapore Economic Development Board Dr Beh Swan Gin, and CEO of JTC Corporation Ng Lang.

The groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of the construction of a new landmark building containing approximately 19,300 square metres of office space, R&D labs, and design studios spread across seven storeys.

The new SEA headquarters, strategically located in one-north, is expected to be ready for move-in by mid-2020 and will house more than 1,000 employees.

Signature design elements and industry-leading features

The new headquarters features the company’s signature design elements as well as cutting-edge tech that adds a touch of environmental friendliness.

Designed to be one of the most distinctive architectural icons in one-north, the building will come alive with millions of colours streaking across the hallmark Razer black and green façade, projected to be powered by Razer’s Chroma lighting technology that is used by gamers worldwide.

The building will also feature several smart solutions to boost its environmental friendliness, reduce its carbon footprint, and enhance overall everyday working experience for Razer staff with lush greenery on the ground and mid-level sky terraces. Razer is also exploring for ways to use alternative sources of energy such as solar energy and batteries to power certain features of the building.

In support of Singapore’s car-lite vision, the headquarters will include facilities encouraging employees to engage in alternative modes of commuting, such as cycling. There will be bicycle parking lots, a locker room, and shower facilities.

Developing future leaders of gaming and esports

To support the exponential growth of the company, the gaming industry, and the esports community, Razer plans to increase its investment in the continued development of its talents in Singapore, both in quantity and quality.

Currently, the company employs around 400 staff in its Singapore office, spanning roles from product development, sales and marketing, legal, finance, and more.

By the end of 2020, Razer expects to boost this number by 2.5 times to 1,000. This includes adding headcount to support the expansion of existing business units, as well as in emerging new business areas. The company will also increase its investment in internal skills training and upgrading for its employees, which will be conducted in-house in the new HQ and across all offices globally.

Disrupting traditional real estate development

The groundbreaking ceremony also marked the announcement of Echo Base, a next-generation digital real estate start-up aimed at disrupting traditional real estate development by incorporating a seamless digital layer – including Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and other next-generation technologies into real estate development projects. Echo Base will focus on the development, investment and management of smart buildings and integrated developments in the Asia Pacific and selected global gateway cities.

Echo Base’s maiden project is the new Razer SEA headquarters and has already secured its first smart city project in the region to be developed over the next few years. More details about this smart city project will be revealed in the coming months.

The project is backed by SGX Mainboard-listed Boustead Projects Limited and Moor House Capital Pte Ltd, an investment holding company majority-controlled by Min-Liang Tan, co-founder and CEO of Razer.