SINGAPORE (AP) — Internet search company Google Inc. plans to open a research and development center in Singapore, its first in Southeast Asia, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Google’s managing director of Southeast Asian sales and operations, Richard Kimber, was quoted in The Straits Times newspaper as saying Singapore was picked for its “very vibrant ICT (information, communications and technology) space.”

Google’s research centers outside of the United States typically focus on adapting its products for local markets, but are also involved in developing new offerings and fine-tuning existing ones, the report said.

Three of its eight research and development centers around the world are in Asia, the paper reported.

Public relations firms representing Google in Singapore and in Sydney, where Kimber is based, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.