Oppo finances AI research center in Hong Kong

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo and Hong Kong Polytechnic University are planning a joint innovation research center for imaging technology with artificial intelligence (AI) in the former British crown colony and current Chinese special administrative region. Both sides have renewed a corresponding framework agreement on cooperation, writes the Chinese daily South China Morning Post on Monday.

According to the report, Oppo pledged 30 million yuan (3.9 million euros) in funding over the next five years. This sum will be used to deepen cooperation with Hong Kong's Polytechnic University (PolyU) in the field of AI imaging technology and expand the scope of joint training for doctoral and postdoctoral students, according to the report.

Focus on talent development

The new center, which is expected to begin operations in January, builds on a joint innovation lab established two years ago. It will primarily focus on research into generative AI. One focus of its work will be in the field of computer vision.

In contrast to regular project-based research in companies, the Oppo-funded AI center will focus on promoting talent. "The main goal of the research center is to cultivate talent," Zhang Lei, Professor of Computer Vision and Image Analysis at PolyU's Faculty of Computer Science, told the South China Morning Post. Accordingly, around 25 doctoral students and several post-doctoral students are to be recruited over a period of five years.

Closer cooperation with mainland China

The promotion of the development of leading AI experts is part of the dispute between the USA and China for supremacy in the field of AI. According to Zhang, Hong Kong offers many advantages in attracting AI talent thanks to its international environment and geographical location. Hong Kong is part of the Pearl River Delta metropolitan region, also known as the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. The Chinese Special Administrative Region borders the Chinese economic metropolis of Shenzhen, one of the fastest growing cities in mainland China and home to numerous tech companies.

Zhang describes the cross-border mobility of talent as now commonplace, and advocates that Hong Kong universities and local start-ups should actively seek cooperation with the Greater Bay Area. The new AI innovation research center is therefore a role model in some ways. Oppo is headquartered in the megacity of Dongguan, which is also part of the Greater Bay Area.

(akn)