HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government’s Treasurer Paul Chan said during the presentation of the 2026-27 Budget on Wednesday that Hong Kong will promote the industrial use of artificial intelligence (AI) and eventually enable all residents to adopt and become familiar with the technology.
Mr. Zhang said he will establish and chair the AI+ and Industrial Development Strategy Committee to formulate strategies and create favorable conditions for AI to promote industrial transformation and development.
The committee will be made up of experts, academics, businesses and industrial park companies, and will initially focus on life and health technologies and embodied AI, Zhang said.
In terms of basic research and development (R&D), Zhang said the InnoHK Research Cluster has so far funded 16 institutes specializing in AI and robotics technologies that can be adopted in industries such as healthcare, logistics, smart manufacturing, and construction.
Mr. Chan also noted that the HK$3 billion (approximately $384 million) AI subsidy scheme launched by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has approved about 30 R&D applications in areas such as large-scale language models, new materials, and biomedicine, to strengthen AI research standards and applications in the region.
To facilitate the transformation of AI+ development and R&D results, the Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Institute Ltd. will be operational in the second half of this year, Chan said, adding that the institute will also advise on governance frameworks and regulatory systems for AI development.
Sandy Ridge’s data facility cluster can provide a total of 250,000 square meters of floor space and will increase Hong Kong’s overall computing capacity. The bid results for the site will be announced soon, Chan said.
He also said that Hong Kong will promote AI training for all and improve public services using AI.
