Deployed region’s first Google Distributed Cloud Connected for low-latency AI
Generated videos using Vertex AI
Personalized videos with added resemblance to every user using localized facefusion model
A seamless Google Cloud–GDC Connected backend powering the SG60 Heart & Soul experience
AI conversation from human-like avatars with the use of Gemini models
NLB transforms SG60 into an immersive citizen journey using Gemini models and Google Distributed Cloud.
NLB transforms SG60 into an immersive citizen journey using Gemini models and Google Distributed Cloud.
Moving from static exhibitions to emotionally intelligent AI
For Singapore’s 60th birthday (SG60), the country’s National Library Board (NLB) and Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) envisioned something far greater than a traditional static exhibition. They wanted to create the ‘Heart & Soul’ experience: a journey where every citizen could see themselves as the protagonist of the nation’s future.
However, moving from a single national narrative to millions of unique, personalized stories presented a massive technical challenge. The vision required generating high-fidelity video, customized audio, and ‘face fusion’ aging models for visitors in real-time.
Legacy cloud architectures could not support the ultra-low latency required for this level of immediate, immersive interaction, nor could they easily meet the strict data residency requirements for a sensitive public sector project such as this.
To deliver this immersion without lag, NLB worked with Accenture to deploy the region’s first Google Distributed Cloud – Connected (GDC-C) setup. The decision hinged on unique capabilities of GDC-C, such as the ability to bring AI compute power directly to the ‘edge’—physically located near the user—to deliver services with zero lag and maximum security. Combined with Gemini models for creative generation, Google Cloud offered the only stack capable of delivering this emotional resonance at scale.
With Accenture’s support, NLB orchestrated a complex ecosystem of 110+ agencies. To succeed within the tight nine-month timeline, the team adopted a ‘human-led’ strategy where technology served strictly as an enabler of the visitor experience, which was planned down to the minute, to ensure that the massive technical coordination resulted in a seamless emotional arc.
This was NLB’s first time using Gen AI and immersive technology to create an experience for patrons. From a tech perspective, one of the key requirements was creating a seamless experience almost on an instant. We make use of Google edge computing, and it's a very powerful engine. Technology was here to support the story and the personalized journeys and that’s how it was supposed to be—in the background.
Richard Lee
Chief Information Officer, Technology and Services Group, NLB Singapore
Awakening history and future through immersive AI
The ‘Heart & Soul’ experience redefined public engagement by turning every visitor from a spectator into an active participant. Visitors to the showcase didn’t just observe Singapore’s story; they stepped inside it. The 90-minute journey began with a conversation, where a digital concierge—brought to life by Gemini in Vertex AI—engaged guests in natural dialogue, learning their hopes to tailor the path ahead in a responsive interaction that made every visitor feel seen.
The technical difficulty of developing a personalized future for every group of visitors, almost every 10 minutes needed a creative breakthrough. I believe that you start with the story and the emotion, the happy hope you want the visitor to feel. Citizen engagement must be human-led. And we did just that with the technology we had.
Gene Tan
Chief Librarian, NLB Singapore
To create this emotional resonance without lag, NLB deployed the GDC-C to deliver those Gemini models. This edge infrastructure setup was critical for the event’s most ambitious feature: real-time 'face fusion' and aging models with localized racial context.
As visitors entered the ‘Time Traveller’ zone, the technical complexity spiked. Here, GDC-C brought AI compute to the edge. By processing biometric data instantly on-site, the system renders high-fidelity videos of visitors’ future selves without the latency that breaks immersion or the data residency risks of public cloud.
The experience extended to the physical realm through smart audio guides equipped with Ultra High Frequency (UHF) and Near Field Communication (NFC) technologies, triggering location-specific narratives that blend digital storytelling with physical exploration.
The journey culminated in ‘Windows in the Sky,’ where visitors could contribute their own aspirations to a collective database. By processing these inputs locally on GDC-C, the solution transformed individual hopes into a shared national roadmap, proving that technology can do more than display history: it can help citizens write the future.
The National Library and Archives Board nurtures Readers for Life, Learning Communities and a Knowledgeable Nation by promoting reading, learning and history through a network of 28 libraries across Singapore, the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore.
Industries: Government & Public Sector, Education
Location: Singapore
Products: Gemini models, Google Distributed Cloud – Connected
About Google Cloud partner—Accenture
Accenture is a leading solutions and services company that helps enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed across the enterprise, bringing together the talent of approximately 784,000 people, our proprietary assets and platforms, and deep ecosystem relationships.
