In a strategic step foward, Google and Sea have officially joined forces for a venture, aiming to boost business in the gaming industry.
On Thursday, February 19, 2026, Google and Southeast Asian technology conglomerate Sea Ltd. announced the latest partnership that will develop cutting-edge AI-powered tools for Sea’s e-commerce and gaming products.
Under the agreement, both companies are set to jointly "explore the building of an AI agentic shopping prototype" on Sea's e-commerce platform Shopee.
This significant move comes as global tech firms are aiming to monetise their AI-powered models by fostering capabilities beyond answering questions and executing broader tasks, from shopping on different apps to streamlining workflows.
A report by consultancy Momentum Works suggested Shopee was named as the dominant e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia holding nearly 52% market share in 2024.
Earlier this week, China's Alibaba, a competitor of Shopee in Southeast Asia, introduced the latest AI model, calling it a strategic step forward "for the agentic AI era."
With this partnership, Google and Sea aims to use gaming unit Garena for the modern AI-Powered solutions to "transform" the productivity of game development.
Moreover, the collaboration comes after a 2024 tie-up between Shopee and Alphabet's YouTube in the Southeast Asian e-commerce market.
