Sun Dong: Hong Kong is being built at full speed as an international innovation and technology center to promote the development of artificial intelligence in all aspects

The Zhitong Finance App learned that on July 17, at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference - AI-Driven Economic Frontier and Global Collaboration Forum, the Hong Kong Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Sun Dong, delivered a speech saying that the Hong Kong SAR government is rapidly building Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology center, promoting the development of artificial intelligence in all aspects in terms of policy governance and capital investment. It also builds a complete, reliable, international and sustainable AI ecosystem, and actively integrates into the national “Artificial Intelligence +” campaign.

The HKSAR Government has promoted AI as a key industry in Hong Kong and established a development policy of “AI industrialization, industrial AI”. Relying on the strong scientific research capabilities of Hong Kong universities, Hong Kong is currently building an internationally competitive innovation and technology system with “three major innovation parks and five major R&D institutions” as the backbone. The three major parks, Science Park, Cyberport, and Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, have brought together more than 1,000 AI-related companies and startups to form a thriving AI cluster.

The Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Institute, which was established at the beginning of this year, will soon be put into operation to promote cutting-edge technology research, transformation of results, governance suggestions, and application scenario development. Currently, the InnoHK R&D platform also has 16 laboratories focusing on artificial intelligence and robots, bringing together nearly 1,200 top international research talents to promote scientific breakthroughs and global innovation and technology cooperation.

He pointed out that computing power is a core element in the development of AI. The overall computing power of Hong Kong has now reached 5,000 PFLOPS per second. The Shaling Data Park, which is currently being built at full speed, will provide 180,000 PFLOPS of computing power after completion, which is equivalent to 36 times the current computing power of Hong Kong. Shaling Data Park, Hetao Hong Kong Park, and Xintian Science and Technology City will jointly form an important part of Hong Kong's “North Innovation and Technology” development pattern, bringing more space and opportunities for AI R&D, industrialization and cross-border cooperation. These parks will efficiently complement the relevant industrial chains and computing power clusters in different mainland provinces and cities, promote Hong Kong as a regional advanced data and computing power hub, and contribute Hong Kong's strength to the construction of a digital China.

At the same time, Hong Kong has set up an “AI+ and Industrial Development Strategy Committee” to formulate AI-driven industrial transformation strategies, initially focusing on life health and physical intelligence; the Innovation and Technology Industry Guidance Fund will be launched within this year to lead market capital investment in emerging and future industries, including artificial intelligence, digitalization and upgrading; it will also continue to promote the safe and orderly flow of data across borders in a pragmatic and steady manner, and establish an artificial intelligence governance framework to balance innovation, application and responsibility to ensure its safe and reliable development.

Sun Dong said that the future development of artificial intelligence must be based on open cooperation, mutual trust and win-win situation. Under “one country, two systems,” Hong Kong has always played an active role as a “super contact” and a “super value-added person”. It is not only a bridge between the country and the world, but also an important platform for the country to deepen its high-level opening-up to the outside world.

Artificial intelligence is driving the global economy to a new frontier, bringing unprecedented opportunities for cross-border collaboration, industrial upgrading, and governance innovation. Hong Kong will continue to rely on the unique advantages of “one country, two systems” to deepen “government, industry, academia, research and investment” collaboration, strengthen linkages with different mainland provinces and cities, enable artificial intelligence to empower Hong Kong's development, and contribute to the country and the world's driving artificial intelligence innovation.