Debug, a Google initiative to reduce mosquito-borne diseases, has announced the expansion of its Singapore operations to establish its first international research and development hub and its largest adult mosquito production facility, with AI and robotics at the centre of the effort.

The expansion builds on Debug’s partnership with Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) on Project Wolbachia, which has been running since 2018. The programme uses Wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacterium that prevents mosquitoes from transmitting diseases, as a chemical-free suppression method. By 2024, Debug was releasing 6 million male Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes per week in Singapore. That figure has since grown to over 10 million weekly releases.

AI and Robotics Accelerating Production

The expanded facility will deepen automation across three core areas. End-to-end robotics already underpin the larval rearing and pupae separation systems; new R&D will extend automation across the full rearing lifecycle to improve yield and consistency. The AI sex-sorting system uses proprietary computer vision to separate non-biting male mosquitoes from females at scale, with the expanded team tasked with increasing sorting fidelity. Automated release vans, designed for Singapore’s high-rise residential environment, will also be further developed to improve coverage efficiency.

NEA trials have demonstrated 80-90% suppression of the Aedes aegypti mosquito population and more than 70% reduction in dengue incidents after six to twelve months of releases. Debug has released more than one billion male mosquitoes globally since the programme’s inception.

Extending to Population Replacement

Beyond suppression, the Singapore facility will introduce new R&D capabilities for mosquito population replacement, an approach in which released mosquitoes pass Wolbachia to the next generation, progressively replacing disease-carrying populations with ones that cannot transmit dengue. This capability is intended for deployment in larger Southeast Asian markets.

“Choosing Singapore as our first international R&D hub underscores our confidence in the nation’s deep-tech ecosystem, talents, and its leadership in deploying the Wolbachia method.”
— Linus Upson, Head of Debug

The expansion aligns with Google’s broader commitment to growing its Singapore R&D footprint as a base for regional innovation across Asia Pacific.