People's Daily Hong Kong, December 10th (Reporter Feng Xuezhi) - The largest artificial intelligence supercomputing center in Hong Kong, the Cyberport Artificial Intelligence Supercomputing Center, was officially put into service on December 9th, and the Cyberport Artificial Intelligence Laboratory was also put into use simultaneously. The total computing power capacity of the first phase facilities of the Cyberport Artificial Intelligence Supercomputing Center can be increased to 1300 horsepower within the year and to 3000 horsepower next year to meet the urgent demand for computing power in the technology industry.

Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, attended the establishment ceremony and delivered a speech. He stated that artificial intelligence is the most critical technology for future high-quality productivity, and the government has introduced multiple policy measures to orderly improve the development of the local artificial intelligence ecosystem and promote the "digital intelligence" application of artificial intelligence. The officially established Cyberport Artificial Intelligence Supercomputing Center will become an indispensable pillar in the development of artificial intelligence in Hong Kong. The Supercomputing Center will gather talents in computing power, data, and algorithm technology, coupled with the Cyberport Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. The Cyberport will provide an innovative platform for artificial intelligence ecosystem partners and enterprises, connecting related application scenarios, exploring product innovation and technology integration, promoting more technology transformation and application, and injecting new impetus into the high-quality development of Hong Kong's economy.

The Chairman of Cyberport, Chen Ximing, stated that the official launch of the Cyberport Supercomputing Center marks a new level of development for the local artificial intelligence ecosystem and industry, and opens up broader prospects for the development of science and technology innovation. The artificial intelligence laboratory, which was put into use on the same day, gathers the R&D capabilities of ecosystem partners, builds heterogeneous computing platforms through computing power development, large-scale model construction, and AI applications in different industries, jointly develops AI innovative products for different industries and scenarios, promotes the transformation and landing of innovative technologies, empowers the intelligent upgrading of various industries in society and business, and enhances Hong Kong's R&D strength, attracting more cutting-edge technology R&D projects and scientific research talents from home and abroad to gather in Hong Kong.

To promote the development of local artificial intelligence, the Hong Kong SAR government announced in the 2023 Policy Address that the Cyberport will establish an artificial intelligence supercomputing center in stages starting this year, providing the necessary computing hardware for research teams. In addition, the SAR government announced a funding of HKD 3 billion in the 2024-2025 Budget to implement a three-year "Artificial Intelligence Funding Scheme" through the Cyberport. The scheme will mainly be used to subsidize five eligible units, including local universities, research and development institutions, and enterprises, to make good use of the computing power of the Supercomputing Centre.

Zhu Peihu, CEO of the start-up company Innovation City, who attended the ceremony, told reporters that the company is training a professional field called "Sci Tech GPT" based on big language models. In the past, it could only rent commercial computing facilities outside Hong Kong to carry out research and development. The launch of the Cyberport Artificial Intelligence Supercomputing Center will provide high-performance computing support for the team, and with the support of the "Artificial Intelligence Funding Program", it will significantly reduce computing costs, help improve the company's research and development efficiency, and seize market opportunities.

It is reported that Cyberport has gathered over 330 start-up companies specializing in the research and development of artificial intelligence and big data, including several leading AI companies that have been introduced. Enterprises are also investing capital, technology, and talent in Hong Kong to develop international headquarters, internationalize artificial intelligence products and services, and promote business internationalization through Hong Kong's international platform.