University of Hong Kong launches 17 AI and fintech labs at Shanghai campus

The University of Hong Kong has opened joint artificial intelligence and fintech laboratories with 17 companies at its Shanghai campus, marking a push to deepen industry partnerships in one of China's leading tech hubs.

The university signed memorandums of understanding with Hong Kong and mainland Chinese firms including Unitree Robotics, BrainCo and AgiBot to establish the specialized labs. The facilities are located in one of two new buildings inaugurated at the Zhangjiang Science City campus.

Campus expansion underway

The Shanghai base welcomed more than 300 students for the new term earlier this week. The campus is expected to expand its student intake next year when HKU's medicine and engineering programmes launch there. The university's computing and data science school opened a base in Shanghai in mid-January.

Two blocks housing teaching and research facilities opened in mid-January, with three additional buildings scheduled to open later. The entire campus spans more than 30,000 square metres.

University president Xiang Zhang said at the opening ceremony that the Shanghai campus would draw on the mainland city's strengths in innovation and industry to advance partnerships involving AI and frontier technologies.

The expansion positions HKU to tap into Shanghai's ecosystem of tech companies and research institutions, particularly in Zhangjiang Science City, a hub for life sciences and advanced manufacturing. The joint labs with robotics and brain-computer interface firms signal a focus on applied AI research aligned with industry needs.

Source: South China Morning Post