Empowered native-language delivery by translating live speech with Cloud Translation API
Captured diplomatic nuances in real time across 29 sessions using Speech-to-Text
Bridged understanding gaps instantly through natural Text-to-Speech audio and unified experience for 1,800+ attendees through inclusive, synchronized communication
Transformed dialogue into intelligence using NotebookLM and Gemini Ultra
Seamless, low-latency access for all devices through Firebase and Compute Engine
The ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) uses Google Cloud ecosystem for multilingual communication at the region's premier forum.
The ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) uses Google Cloud ecosystem for multilingual communication at the region's premier forum.
Overcoming language gaps to enable
seamless diplomatic dialogue
We wanted to go beyond the tried and tested norms when organising ABIS 2025. Google Cloud offered the right solutions to our problems. While some stakeholders were hesitant at the start, once they saw how easy and seamless it is to implement and use, they were immediately on board.
Kimberly Leong
Senior Manager, ASEAN-BAC Malaysia
As the official private-sector link to ASEAN's heads of state, the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) is more than just a conference. It is a premier forum in the region where world leaders and CEOs converge to shape economic integration.
For the 2025 summit, hosted by ASEAN-BAC Malaysia, the agenda featured critical dialogues with global figures, including Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The priority was ensuring seamless communication across 29 sessions. Amidst these discussions, a fundamental human challenge emerged.
High-level summits, such as ABIS, involve speakers delivering remarks in their native languages, which creates a gap in immediate understanding for a diverse international audience who need to follow every nuance in real time.
To solve this for more than 2,300 delegates attending, ABIS partnered with Cloudspace to deploy a low-latency translation system on Google Cloud. It was selected for its ability to handle live, 'endless streaming' recognition securely. Previous evaluations revealed processing delays of 10-20 seconds – not fast enough for the diplomatic nuance of a live summit. Thereby, the system needed to align perfectly with official human interpretations while ensuring that accuracy is paramount.
With the Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (v1p1beta1), the summit moved from fragmented interpretation to a unified, real-time workflow. By identifying speakers instantly, the system ingested interpreter feeds and generated synchronized subtitles and audio through the Cloud Translation API and the Text-to-Speech API in sub-second time. This transformed the experience from passive listening to active engagement.
Turning real-time speech into lasting intelligence
For the 2,300 attendees, including world leaders and delegates, a productive summit depended on a lot more than physical logistics. It required the flawless flow of ideas across linguistic silos. To achieve this level of diplomatic connectivity, the team engineered a high-performance backend using Google Compute Engine and Cloud Load Balancing. This infrastructure handled the heavy lifting of ingesting continuous audio streams and managing stable WebSocket connections, ensuring that the system could scale instantly as thousands of users logged on. Data was then pushed to Firebase for delivery, such that when a dignitary spoke in the main hall, the translated subtitles appeared on screens with sub-second latency.
This robust architecture powered a dual-layer accessibility solution. On the event app, the Cloud Translation API and the Text-to-Speech API allowed users to listen to synthesized audio in either English, or Vietnamese to English and Portuguese to English—a feature that saw usage spike during those non-English addresses.
True integration requires more than just shared markets; it requires shared understanding. By adopting Google Cloud's real-time translation, we removed the communication barriers that typically fragment large-scale summits. This allowed 2,300 delegates to engage with one another seamlessly, ensuring that the strategic objectives of the summit were understood and shared by all.
Tan Sri Nazir Razak
ASEAN-BAC 2025 Chairman
Simultaneously, the system achieved scale beyond the app by projecting live English subtitles on the main hall screens. This served every attendee that used the event app during plenary segments, making sure that even those without devices remained fully engaged in the dialogue.
Ultimately, the value of the solution extended well beyond the closing remarks after the event. Organizers utilized NotebookLM and Gemini Ultra to act as an intelligent research assistant for the event's massive archive. Instead of manually reviewing hours of transcripts, the team could interactively query the AI to summarise key takeaways, identify emerging economic trends, and generate accurate post-event reports. This workflow transformed ephemeral spoken content into a structured, searchable knowledge base, maximising the long-term impact of the summit's discussions.
Redefining regional diplomacy
through digital innovation
The dual-delivery model of synchronized personal device streaming with large-format hall displays successfully protected the continuity of the summit and guaranteed that understanding remained unbroken for every delegate. It even drove high engagement, earning an 8.17/10 average satisfaction rating.
The results validate that the system did more than simply translate. It removed friction from critical diplomatic exchanges, allowing attendees to focus entirely on the substance of the dialogue.
The implementation of the real-time translation and transcription application at ABIS 2025 demonstrated the power of Google Cloud technology in facilitating seamless multilingual communication at high-profile international events. In more ways than one, it set the stage for accessible regional dialogue, proving that a digital-first approach can redefine what is possible in bridging diverse nations and driving effective communication for economic integration.
Hosted by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) is the region's flagship business forum held alongside the annual ASEAN Summit. Bringing together global leaders, CEOs, and Heads of State, the summit serves as a premier platform to shape the future of ASEAN's economy. Last year's theme "Unifying markets for shared prosperity," focused on how private sector innovation can drive policy reforms, deepen regional integration, and foster impactful global partnerships.
Industry: Government and Public Sector
Location: Malaysia
Products: Google Cloud Speech-to-Text, Cloud Translation API, Text-to-Speech API, NotebookLM, Gemini Ultra, Google Compute Engine, Cloud Load Balancing, Firebase Hosting, Cloud Firestore, Firebase Authentication
About Google Cloud partner - Cloudspace
Cloud Space Sdn Bhd (CS) is the Cloud Solutions Division of E Technology Computer Resources, an IT System Integrator established in 1997 with over 25 years of experience serving Southeast Asia. Formed in 2022 to focus on modern infrastructure, CS is a certified Google Cloud Partner specializing in Cloud Computing, AI, Data Automation, and Cybersecurity solutions, including Google Workspace and Chrome Enterprise.
