The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has revealed that Hong Kong’s first commercial high-performance computing (HPC) service has officially launched.
Within InnoPark, Hong Kong’s technological industrial estate aimed at generating economic output, a HPC service, hosted by HKSTP, is now fully operational. This service provides the industry with computing power, acceleration tools, and data access, in line with the national strategy for supercomputing development.
HKSTP also plans to inaugurate its Microelectronics Centre (MEC) later this year. The MEC, located in the Yuen Long InnoPark, will feature two pilot production lines for Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC). These lines, developed by the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute, will provide comprehensive support to enterprises along the entire industry chain, from design and prototyping to trial production.
“A complete innovation and technology (I&T) industry chain has to be backed by industries. We strive to attract and nurture more technology industries of strategic importance conducive to the real and digital economy and promote the development of ‘new industrialisation’ in Hong Kong,” explained Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry.
“With the new HPC service and the new AI Supercomputing Centre in Cyberport, with the first phase facility to start operating this year, the support to the strong local demand for computing power will be further strengthened. The Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute, as the anchor tenant, will also make good use of microelectronics-specific infrastructure to be provided by the MEC.”
Collectively, these infrastructure developments highlight Hong Kong’s ambition to accelerate local industrialisation, aligning with the national vision to enhance ‘New Quality Productive Forces’.
Developing a smart city
In the ‘Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint‘ unveiled by the HKSAR Government, one of the strategic directions is to enhance the innovation and technology (I&T) ecosystem and advance Hong Kong’s ‘new industrialisation’.
The government is committed to supporting the advanced manufacturing industry, including the establishment or expansion of advanced manufacturing production lines for the semiconductor industry in Hong Kong. It is also actively promoting the development of Hong Kong into a smart city.
Sunny Chai, chairman of HKSTP, added: “We are confident that both of our MEC and HPC services, which are at the forefront of technology, will significantly boost Hong Kong’s capacity for innovation. We will continue to foster collaboration among corporate partners, investors, researchers, and tech ventures to realise the vision of new industrialisation in Hong Kong.”
HKSTP provides consultancy services within the Science Park, as well as customised set-up for both technology companies and corporate customers, including pre-trained tools and access to cross-industry data, supporting over 300 companies involved in AI and data technology.
HKSTP established Hong Kong’s first data community last year, aimed at integrating cross-industry data to explore new business growth and enhance AI innovation.
Bolstering InnoPark
HKSTP is committed to advancing the new industrialisation in Hong Kong and has repositioned its three industrial estates as ‘InnoParks’, in line with government initiatives towards new industrialisation. These InnoParks now boast a utilisation rate of nearly 90 per cent, significantly supporting the development of the local manufacturing industry.
With the MEC’s upcoming operation, HKSTP anticipates an occupancy rate of just shy of 80 per cent. As the microelectronics industry in Hong Kong is poised for rapid growth, HKSTP plans to transform the Yuen Long InnoPark into a hub for the microelectronics ecosystem. Currently, four to five buildings and plots of land adjacent to the MEC have been identified to support this development.
The Hong Kong Science Park is currently home to a working population of over 24,000, including 15,000 R&D personnel. The number of companies within the park has reached 2,000 companies, with those engaged in microelectronics-related businesses growing to over 200 in the past four years.
HKSTP has also developed an extensive network of microelectronics hardware infrastructure, including a Hardware Lab, a Sensor Lab, and a Heterogeneous Integration Lab. These facilities support the complete end-to-end process from design and prototyping to trial production, as well as the manufacturing of chip-related equipment, systems, and products.
