More than 90% of Hong Kong's AI supercomputing capacity in use, Cyberport says
artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem is bearing fruit, with more than 90 per cent of the city's flagship supercomputing centre at Cyberport now in use, according to officials.
Advertisement
The AI Supercomputing Centre, which began operations in December, is a cornerstone of the government's strategy to foster a vibrant local AI ecosystem. Authorities have earmarked HK$3 billion (US$418.6 million) in subsidies to support AI model development and applications.
Cyberport said on Friday that it had received 20 applications for the subsidy programme, with 10 projects approved so far. Among the recipients is the Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Centre, which is developing a foundational audio model and a ChatGPT-style tool used by more than 70 per cent of government departments. The centre has also launched a multilingual transcription tool capable of detecting Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
The government is seeking to boost computing resources for start-ups as part of its ambition to transform Hong Kong into a leading technology hub, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said in June. Plans are under way for a new supercomputing centre at Sandy Ridge in the
Northern Metropolis – a government project to transform a large swathe of land in the New Territories into an economic hub.
At the Cyberport event, Yang Hongxia, one of China's top AI scientists and head of computing at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said access to the centre's resources helped her project achieve breakthroughs in medical applications.
Advertisement
'By collaborating with the top cancer treatment hospitals in Hong Kong and mainland China, we have enhanced data analysis and localised applications in the specialised field of cancer treatment based on vertical large models and specialised models,' Yang said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
CY Leung renews call for Hong Kong landlords to cut rents amid rising vacancies
Hong Kong's former leader Leung Chun-ying has challenged landlords to 'adjust their mentality' over rental yields as he renewed his call for price cuts to stem a 40-year high vacancy rate for commercial properties from rising further amid a slackening economy. Leung, now a top political adviser to the country, also warned that landlords would be harmed in the end if they refused to budge on lowering rents. 'It is sheer self-delusion if landlords think they can get the rent level they want by leaving the premises vacant and waiting [instead of cutting the rents],' Leung said on Saturday. Leung, now a vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, weighed in on the debate over Hong Kong's commercial rents last week after the latest government report showed that, by the end of 2024, the total vacant floor area of private commercial buildings reached 1.4 million square metres. The empty space represented a vacancy rate of 11.8 per cent – a record high over the past 40 years. The slackening economy has also resulted in a string of high-profile shutdowns of established restaurants in recent months, with some citing high rents as a reason. 'The overall economic environment is like that now. Perhaps it is partly because people are going north to spend, or people are getting used to buying takeaway, or shopping online,' Leung said.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
SHKP Tuen Mun project sells out, signalling rebound in Hong Kong's property market
All 160 units of a new residential project by Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) in Tuen Mun sold out on Saturday, buoyed by a recovering stock market and low interest rates, a sign that Hong Kong's property market may be seeing a sustained rebound, according to analysts. The first round of sales for Novo Land Phase 3A offered 160 units at listed prices, with an additional five units available by tender. Prices started at under HK$3 million (US$382,173) for a three-bedroom flat. All available units were snapped up by 2pm, the developer said. The units varied in size from 259 to 686 sq ft, including studio to three-bedroom layouts, with the bigger units priced as high as HK$7.8 million. The average price per square foot was HK$11,398. The pricing reflected a 1.7 per cent discount compared to the initial price list of the previous Phase 3B release. 'Favourable market conditions are the main reason for the strong sales,' said Sammy Po Siu-ming, CEO of Midland Realty's residential division. 'Interest rates are low, the stock market is rising, and the economy is gradually recovering. The central government is also taking steps to support the property market.' The Novo Walk mall at Novo Land in Tuen Mun. Photo: Edmond So He added that rising rents were also attracting investors looking for rental income.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
‘Space oil' linked to possible fatal condition among Hong Kong teen users: study
Some Hong Kong teenagers using the illegal drug 'space oil' were found to suffer from a possibly fatal condition in which levels of certain important hormones were drastically reduced, a study from a medical journal has found. Doctors involved in the research also found that the impact on young people's health could persist even if they stopped using the drug but were still exposed to it while hanging out with other users. The findings were contained in medical research report on the narcotic's health impact on three boys, aged 15 to 17, who were all diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency after being sent to public hospital paediatric departments in April and May last year. The cases are the first three teenagers documented in Hong Kong. One of the teenagers mentioned in the report continued to show signs of adrenal insufficiency despite having stopped abusing space oil for several months, with doctors saying it could be due to second-hand exposure. 'This is the first local paediatric report of adrenal insufficiency associated with etomidate misuse via e-cigarettes,' researchers said in the article, which was published in the Hong Kong Medical Journal last month.
