The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and a major cloud computing company recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further their collaboration in nurturing local technology talent, collaborating on cutting-edge technology research and facilitating the research works of HKUST researchers.
Under the MoU, HKUST and the global leader in cloud technologies will nurture local talent in knowledge relating to data analytics, cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) to further develop Hong Kong’s pool of technology professionals and meet industry demands.
The two parties will roll out joint talent development programmes, providing workshops and seminars to prepare students with the practical skills they will require when using advanced technologies as well as promote a culture centred around new technology innovations. Internship opportunities will also be offered to HKUST students by the tech firm.
This partnership aims to support HKUST to move forward as an international leader in education and research. Drawing on its robust cloud experience, the tech firm will continue supporting HKUST in its exploration of Elastic High-Performance Computing (E-HPC) for accelerating HKUST’s research activities in pure science and engineering, as well as AI and machine learning. HKUST will also receive advisory to build an integrated, secure and flexible research platform connecting its campus in Hong Kong and the soon-to-be-opened Guangzhou campus.
The Vice-President for Research and Development at HKUST noted that the tech firm is an active supporter of pioneering research and academic-industry cooperation. Since 2018, both parties have jointly launched 10 collaborative research projects to advance the frontiers of innovative technologies and address challenges of the industry. HKUST aims to strengthen this partnership to pave way for an even closer collaboration, which shall bring greater benefits not just for us, but for the society and region as a whole.
The General Manager for Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Philippines, of the tech firm stated that the partnership with HKUST is an affirmation of our commitment to nurturing technology talent and fostering local innovation ecosystems. HKUST is a leading university with world-class research across disciplines.
He added that the company is delighted to work with HKUST to continuously prepare young talent for the future and looks forward to co-developing more advanced technologies to empower various industries and advance the GBA as a technology hub in Asia.
Through this collaboration, HKUST and the tech firm will also work together to explore new solutions in areas such as AI, next generation intelligent data processing platforms and serverless computing, in view of addressing technology-related challenges and opening up fresh opportunities for academic and industry experts to cooperate on projects.
The two parties have been long-term collaborators. Supported by the tech firm and its parent group’s AIR Programme, the two organisations have worked together on research projects spanning machine intelligence and data computing. Supported by the cloud tech firm, HKUST organised a FinTech hackathon to encourage its students to identify and solve industry challenges and develop innovation solutions.
The global cloud computing market size is expected to grow from US$ 445.3 billion in 2021 to US$ 947.3 billion by 2026, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16.3% during the forecast period. While technology spending in APAC has increased, the setback due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic is impending. The cloud technology adoption is expected to increase in sectors where the WFH initiative is helping to sustain enterprise business functions.