Innovation and technology (I&T) development is about to get a major boost in Hong Kong.
The city’s first AI high-performance computing service – ramping up processing power for researchers and corporate customers – opened for business in September.
This new offering is hosted by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), a Government-backed ecosystem and start-up incubator.
Two more cutting-edge infrastructure projects are also underway, adding more momentum to Hong Kong’s build-out of its high-tech infrastructure.
HKSTP plans to inaugurate a new centre for microelectronics by the end of the year. Over time, this will become part of a larger microelectronics hub, specialising in the various components that computers and smartphones rely on.
HKSTP has already earmarked four to five buildings as well as plots of land adjacent to the upcoming microelectronics centre for development.
Meanwhile, the first phase of a new AI Supercomputing Centre is also scheduled to commence operations in Cyberport, a tech-centric business park, later this year.
AI and microelectronics are both priorities for Hong Kong’s strategic development, said Prof Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry for the Hong Kong SAR Government (pictured above), while speaking at the launch ceremony for HKSTP’s high-performance computing service.
“A complete I&T industry chain has to be backed by industries,” Prof Sun said.
“We strive to attract and nurture more technology industries of strategic importance conducive to the real and digital economy.”
A Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Blueprint, unveiled in December 2022, set out the city’s ambitions to promote advanced manufacturing and usher in a new era of industrialisation.
In line with these goals, HKSTP has repositioned its industrial estates in Hong Kong as InnoParks, which are geared towards world-class infrastructure and services.
HKSTP’s new high-performance computing cluster, which has already received broad industry support, is in Tseung Kwan O InnoPark.
As AI becomes widespread, high-performance computing is becoming more important, providing acceleration tools, data access and improved computing power that can enhance R&D and productivity.
HKSTP also set up a new Hong Kong data community last year, to augment AI innovation and map out new business opportunities by integrating cross-industry data.
Meanwhile, HKSTP’s InnoPark in Yuen Long will focus on microelectronics.
This aligns with plans to support Hong Kong’s semiconductor industry, which the Innovation and Technology Blueprint identifies as strategically important.
When it opens, the new microelectronics centre will feature pilot production lines for two relatively new semiconductor materials, gallium nitride and silicon carbide.
Silicon has dominated as a semiconductor in electronics for decades. However, gallium nitride and silicon carbide are becoming more common for certain applications, such as wall chargers and EVs.
The new production lines, developed by the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute, will provide support across the industry chain, from design to prototyping to trial production.
New facilities for microelectronics and high-performance computing will significantly boost Hong Kong’s capacity for innovation, said HKSTP’s Chairman, Dr Sunny Chai, also speaking at the launch ceremony.
