Internet giant Google plans to open its first Southeast Asia research and development centre in Singapore. The company chose Singapore because of its "very vibrant" info-communications and technology environment, Tuesdays edition of The Straits Times quoted Richard Kimber, Googles Southeast Asia managing director of sales and operations, as saying. Singapore is Southeast Asias most advanced economy and one of the most wired countries in Asia. The government is seeking to attract high-tech industries as it moves away from the traditional unskilled manufacturing sector. Google is best known for its widely-used Internet search engine.