About - Royce Lua

Hello. I'm Royce Lua, a Generative AI Engineer at SAP.

I'm a pragmatic builder who cares about one thing: solutions that work. Rather than debating whether the cup is half full or half empty, I focus on filling it. I bridge research and real-world needs, turning ideas into practical tools that people can use.

This page shares what drives me, where I started, and what I have learned along the way.

What Drives Me

I'm motivated by turning ideas into products that people can rely on. Bringing something to life and seeing it help someone is what fuels me.

I push myself to keep learning and adapting, especially in a world where technology moves fast. Progress comes from building, shipping, and improving one step at a time.

I believe AI should amplify people, not replace them. It's a tool that helps us think smarter, solve problems faster, and unlock new possibilities in how we work and live.

Where I Started?

I graduated with a Diploma in Aviation from Temasek Polytechnic.

I didn’t follow the "traditional" degree-to-job trajectory, and that has shaped how I think: stay hungry, keep improving, and build opportunities instead of waiting for them.

That path taught me to learn fast, adapt quickly, and figure things out by doing. It pushed me to take ownership of my growth and to build skills that create real impact.

My Career Journey

After graduation, I started at Dr Stretch, working closely with people and learning how to deliver value through service and empathy.

I then made the leap into tech, joining Payboy as a Full-Stack Software Engineer. Working at a startup taught me how to move fast, wear multiple hats, and ship products that matter. It was scrappy, intense, and incredibly rewarding. I learned what it means to build with urgency and ownership.

From there, I joined Google's Skills Ignition SG program. I was part of the Google Workspace Customer Engineering team, where I worked with customers across APAC, delivered solutions to C-level executives, and built scalable applications on Google Cloud. I also had the opportunity to collaborate with the Google Maps iOS team, contributing to a product used by over a billion people worldwide. That experience showed me the power of building at scale.

Today, I'm a Generative AI Engineer at SAP's Generative AI CoE. I spend my days building and shipping Generative and Agentic AI solutions that tackle real business challenges. I'm constantly exploring what's new in AI research and figuring out how to turn those ideas into tools that customers can actually use. I also run training sessions and workshops, helping teams across the company get hands-on with building and scaling their own AI solutions.

What I've Learned So Far

Working in a startup taught me how to move fast, take ownership, and ship products with limited resources.

Working in enterprises taught me how to build for scale, navigate complex systems, and create solutions that work across thousands of organizations.

And working at world-class organizations like Google and SAP showed me what excellence looks like, from rigorous engineering standards to building products that impact billions of people.

Each experience shaped how I approach problems today.

My Philosophy

Build over talk. Ideas matter only when shipped and improved through real use.
Progress beats perfection. Stay curious, learn fast, and keep moving even when the path isn't clear.
Forge your own path. Your background is a starting point, not a limit. Create opportunities instead of waiting for them.
Lift others as you grow. Success means more when it's shared and when you help others rise with you.
Embrace change. Tech evolves fast, AI evolves even faster. Learning quickly is my superpower and I treat change as an opportunity to grow.

Let's Connect

If you’re exploring AI, navigating a career shift, or excited about building the future, I’d love to connect and share ideas. My journey so far has been supported by people who believed in me, and I want to pay it forward.

Thank you for reading my story.
There's still so much more to build.