Capitalizing on the momentum of artificial intelligence adaptation, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is ramping up efforts to drive innovation and foster emerging industries.
As artificial intelligence adaptation spreads across the world, the technology has become the defining frontier of global economic growth. Capitalizing on this momentum, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is ramping up efforts to drive innovation and foster emerging industries, aiming to cement Hong Kong’s status as a rapidly rising AI hub.
“AI is a key engine for the future and a new track for global competition,” said Terry Wong Ping-sau, chief executive officer of HKSTP. “We are committed to advancing ‘AI+’ from research and development to application, from technological breakthroughs to industrialization, proactively turning innovative achievements into real productivity.”
Technological self-reliance and innovation are highlighted at the core of the national strategy in the recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026 - 30), which also affirms support for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's development as an international innovation and technology center.
And in his fourth Policy Address last year, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu vowed to develop AI as a core pillar of the city’s future economy.
Serving as Hong Kong’s most established innovation ecosystem, the Hong Kong Science Park — managed by the HKSTP — has played a pivotal role in this process.
The innovation park now hosts 2,600 technology companies, including over 500 AI firms and more than 5,000 professionals with relevant skills, Wong said.
“We have cutting-edge technologies spanning upstream R&D, midstream pilots, and downstream mass production — a complete chain that can scale innovation ‘from 1 to 100’,” he said. “This helps transform AI research achievements into practical results, as well as builds talent pipelines.”
These strengths will also drive implementation of smart city solutions and foster cross-industry collaboration in Hong Kong, Wong added.
To further empower industries with AI and meet demand from Chinese mainland enterprises expanding globally via Hong Kong, the HKSTP is accelerating its new project, INNOPOLE campus, in the Northern Metropolis.
Currently, the Hong Kong Science Park lacks small-scale production space, as its facilities focus mainly on R&D and early-stage commercialization, Wong said. “The new campus will fill this gap by offering mid-sized plants and pilot production facilities, enabling the local researchers to test production in Hong Kong,” he added.
Scheduled to launch in early 2027, phase one of the INNOPOLE will cover approximately 2.5 hectares with offices, talent housing, edge computing and good manufacturing practice-compliant facilities.
Wong added that INNOPOLE’s proximity to Shenzhen could provide many conveniences to companies.
“After completing trial production or prototype in Hong Kong, the firms can easily carry out mass-scale production in Shenzhen and other mainland cities, while keeping the intellectual property rights in the SAR for future global expansion,” he said.
Hong Kong hosted the inaugural “WAIC UP! Global Summit”, a new global platform under the eight-year-old World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in January, with the HKSTP as its exclusive strategic partner.
Held at the Hong Kong Science Park, the one-day event featured keynote speeches, panel discussions and cutting-edge tech showcases from leading global voices, covering topics ranging from embodied intelligence and quantum technology, to globalization strategies and industrial applications.
Wong said the science park provided a venue for summit attendees to demonstrate their products and exchange ideas, reflecting Hong Kong’s important position as a junction connecting different I&T sector stakeholders across the world.
The CEO pledged that the HKSTP will continue to fully align with the SAR government to capitalize on the “one country, two systems” advantages, empowering the innovation sector to contribute to economic growth and solidifying Hong Kong’s global I&T hub status.
Contact the writer at gabylin@chinadailyhk.com
