Speech by SITI at 2nd GTI Forum on Digital Intelligence · Hong Kong (English only) (with photo)
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尊敬的李主任 (CPC Committee Member and Vice Chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, Mr Li Zhen)、Chairman Gao (Chairman of GTI, Mr Gao Tongqing), Chairman Ehrlich (Chairman of GTI, Mr Craig Ehrlich), Mr Li (Executive Vice President of China Mobile, Mr Li Huidi), Professor Chao (Vice President (Research and Innovation) of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Professor Christopher Chao), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning! It is my great pleasure to speak again at the GTI Forum on Digital Intelligence · Hong Kong. For those who are visiting Hong Kong for the first time, a big welcome to Hong Kong, and I wish you a pleasant stay to explore the wonders of this vibrant city.
The recent announcement by the World Intellectual Property Organization ranking the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou innovation cluster as number one in its index of the world's top 100 innovation clusters in the Global Innovation Index 2025 is a resounding affirmation of our region's visionary commitment to innovation and technology (I&T). This recognition not only celebrates our collective achievements, but also reinforces Hong Kong's strategic position in the global I&T landscape.
Thanks to GTI, who have chosen Hong Kong to host the forum for two consecutive years. This reflects not only GTI's recognition of Hong Kong's crucial role as a "super-connector" and "super value-adder", but also the confidence that you have placed in Hong Kong as a promising, global hub of I&T.
Among the many emerging technologies in this I&T era, artificial intelligence (AI) has been at its forefront in recent years. The focus of the GTI Forum is no exception, as evidenced from the forum programme, which will take us through the development, opportunities and challenges of AI in the coming two days.
Recognising the great potential of AI, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government has introduced a number of initiatives to support and drive the local AI ecosystem. On digital infrastructure, our local I&T flagship Cyberport has commenced operation of its AI Supercomputing Centre (AISC) since last December to advance AI research and applications. Its computing power will ramp up within this year. Leveraging the AISC, we also provide subsidies to its eligible users, such as local institutions, research and development (R&D) centres, enterprises and start-ups through the $3 billion AI Subsidy Scheme to encourage the R&D of potential groundbreaking AI.
Another initiative spearheaded by the Hong Kong SAR Government to support AI R&D is the AIR@InnoHK Research Cluster. It is a collaboration with leading R&D institutions locally and globally, that drives advancements in AI and robotics technologies. The cluster has set up 15 R&D labs, including the Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Center, HKGAI in short. In this February, the HKGAI launched its homegrown AI large language model, and integrated it into a generative AI document processing copilot application (HKPilot). The AI copilot application has been widely adopted for trial use within the Government in respect of drafting, translation and summarising of documents.
In addition, we have further earmarked $1 billion for the establishment of the Hong Kong AI R&D Institute. This new institute, which is targeted to be set up in 2026, will spearhead AI development and industry applications in Hong Kong, as well as to facilitate upstream R&D, midstream and downstream transformation of R&D outcomes and expand application scenarios.
Ladies and gentlemen, the above are just a few examples of our I&T initiatives to foster a vibrant local AI ecosystem. I am confident that with the concerted efforts of the Government, industry, academia, research institutes and investment sectors, our AI ecosystem will thrive and bring promising opportunities to Hong Kong, Mainland China and the world.
Before I close, may I wish the GTI Forum another year of great success and everyone a rewarding journey. Thank you.
Ends/Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Issued at HKT 10:05
Issued at HKT 10:05
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