FOLLOWING the launch of its SUPER+ subscription plan to boost its flights and food delivery, airasia Super App has teamed up with Google to further push its services on the platform.
The two organisations have entered into a five-year strategic collaboration “to advance airasia Super App’s vision of a co-innovation ecosystem that all businesses and developers can partake in to serve the daily needs of people in the region,” they announced in a joint statement.
As part of the deal, the two companies will nurture tech talent to establish a Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE) in South-east Asia consisting of AirAsia Allstars and Google Cloud technologists.
Leveraging Google Cloud’s infrastructure and networking tech, superapp users can access its services anytime and anywhere on any device, including those in rural areas with intermittent internet connectivity or using lower-cost smartphones with less storage capacity.
The partners will work together deliver data-driven insights to fuel growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) on the platform.
By adopting Google Cloud’s open-source principles and infrastructure, the CCoE will develop a suite of software development kits (SDKs) that external tech companies can use to develop new services and tools for superapp users. These include biometric identification, chatbots, e-wallets, online travel bookings services.
Google will also tap airasia Super App’s in-region network to expand its developer community in South-east Asia.
Sealing the collaboration at Google’s global headquarters in Mountain View, California, (from left) Thomas Kurian, CEO Google Cloud; Sundar Pichai, CEO Google; Tony Fernandes, CEO Capital A.
Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A (formerly AirAsia Group), is confident that working with Google the company would be able to disrupt the digital platform arena in the same vein as it did with airlines.
“We may be late in the game, but with the Super App as the centre of our ecosystem of e-commerce, logistics and fintech we are determined to give all 700 million people in ASEAN inclusivity, accessibility and value.”
He added: “With Google’s help our ecosystem will not only be transactional, but be about building community, and enriching that community – not just the customers but partners like restaurants, airlines, hotels and drivers.”
Amanda Woo, airasia Super App’s CEO, said to benefit everyone across South-east Asia’s heterogeneous communities, the superapp must be simple and easy-to-use. “It’s therefore crucial that we leverage Google’s rich experience in building global platforms and ecosystems to equip and engage more talent, entrepreneurs and partners who can provide even more tailor-made solutions that fit users’ lives.
“What we’re announcing today is just the beginning, and we look forward to exploring further co-innovation initiatives with Google, whether in digital travel planning, self-driving cars, cloud gaming, startup investment, or supporting frontline workers through Google Workspace.”
airasia Super App, which operates in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand,and the Philippines has about 51 million users. The platform offers flight and hotel bookings, e-commerce, food and parcel delivery, ride-hailing, financial and health services, on-demand education and more.
• Images credit: AirAsia
