Hong Kong has reserved HK$1 billion and established the "Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Institute" next year

Hong Kong has reserved HK$1 billion and established the "Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Institute" next year

Recently, the Hong Kong SAR government announced that it has reserved HK$1 billion and plans to establish the Hong Kong AI Research Institute in 2025, aiming to promote the development of local artificial intelligence technology and consolidate Hong Kong's position as an international innovation and technology center. This move has attracted widespread attention and has become one of the hot topics in the past 10 days.

1. Policy background and goals

The Hong Kong SAR Government stated that the establishment of the Artificial Intelligence R&D Institute is an important part of the "Blueprint for the Development of Innovation and Technology in Hong Kong". The goal is to accelerate the research and development and application of artificial intelligence technology by integrating academic, industrial and government resources. The R&D Institute will focus on the following key areas:

2. Fund allocation and planning

The HKD Budget of 1 billion will be invested in phases, with the specific allocation as follows:

The R&D Institute has initially selected its location in the Hong Kong Science Park and is expected to be put into operation in the first quarter of 2025. At least 50 top researchers will be recruited in the first year.

3. Social response and industry trends

After the announcement of the plan, the Hong Kong technology community responded enthusiastically. Professor Ye Yuru, President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said: "The establishment of the R&D Institute will make up for the shortcomings in the basic research of the local AI industry chain." At the same time, relevant hot data in the past 10 days show:

4. International comparison and competitive advantages

Compared with other international AI research centers, Hong Kong has unique advantages:

5. Future Outlook

Pan Tingting, Director of the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Agency, revealed that the R&D Institute will establish a "dual headquarters" cooperation mechanism with mainland and overseas institutions. The first list of cooperation includes Tsinghua University's Institute of Intelligent Industry (AIR) and the Allen Turing Institute in the UK. The industry predicts that the plan is expected to bring more than HK$20 billion in economic benefits to Hong Kong in the next five years and create 3,000 high-end jobs.

With the acceleration of global artificial intelligence competition, Hong Kong's move is not only a response to the national "14th Five-Year Plan" scientific and technological innovation requirements, but also an important layout to seize the commanding heights of the next generation of technology. In the next step, the SAR government will publicly solicit opinions on the specific structure of the R&D Institute, and it is expected that the detailed implementation plan will be announced in the fourth quarter of 2024.