Hong Kong tech firms tap city’s first AI supercomputing service to accelerate R&D

Technology companies specialising in health solutions and deep learning are among those to benefit from Hong Kong’s first artificial intelligence (AI) supercomputing service, with the firms saying it has accelerated the pace of research and development.

The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation said on Thursday it had established the city’s first commercial high-performance computing service, which started earlier this month in a trial with four companies.

Innovation and technology minister Sun Dong said the full launch of the project, which allows companies to pay to use the technology, would further enhance the supply of the city’s AI-related computing power.

“The new high-performance computing facility service is expected to support the growth of around 300 companies working on AI and data technology in the Science Park ecosystem and provide them with new insights and discovery in various fields,” he said.

“Together with the new AI Supercomputing Centre in Cyberport, where a first-phase facility will start operating this year, the support to the strong local demand for computing power will be further strengthened.”