- 18 Hong Kong I&T enterprises present innovative solutions, fostering international exchange and collaboration
The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, one of the world’s premier events in artificial intelligence (AI), concluded successfully in Shanghai today. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) participated in the event for the fourth consecutive year, and together with three major innovation and technology (I&T) parks – namely Cyberport, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) and Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Limited (HSITP) – mounted the Hong Kong Tech Pavilion. The pavilion showcased innovative solutions from 18 leading Hong Kong AI enterprises and institutions to global investors and industry players, covering areas including intelligent robotics, smart city technologies, cybersecurity and enterprise intelligence. The pavilion demonstrated Hong Kong’s strengths as an international I&T centre and its unique advantage as an important bridge connecting China with global innovation resources.
Silas Chu, HKTDC Associate Executive Director (Technology and Digital Innovation), said: “The HKTDC is committed to fostering the development of Hong Kong’s I&T and start-up ecosystem. Through various platforms, we actively help start-ups enhance their market visibility, expand into the Chinese Mainland and overseas markets, and further promote Hong Kong’s I&T strengths. We continue to facilitate the participation of local I&T enterprises in major international technology exhibitions and industry events, enabling deeper exchange and collaboration between the industry and global corporations, investors, research institutions and business partners. These efforts help the sector stay abreast of developments in AI and other frontier technologies, while exploring new application scenarios and market opportunities. Through our participation in WAIC, we hope to showcase Hong Kong’s vibrant I&T ecosystem to a global audience and help bring more innovative solutions to international markets.”
On the first day of the conference, the HKTDC organised the Seminar on Fostering Economic Innovation and Global Collaboration through AI, bringing together representatives from government, research institutions, the financial sector and I&T enterprises to discuss AI industrialisation and real-world applications, governance and standards alignment, financial empowerment and the global expansion of Greater Bay Area AI enterprises. The seminar also explored pathways to accelerate technology commercialisation and foster industry development through regional and international collaboration.
Prof Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR Government, attended the forum and delivered opening remarks. He said: “The Hong Kong SAR Government is pressing ahead with transforming Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology centre, while building a robust, trustworthy, internationalised and sustainable AI ecosystem and proactively integrating into the national AI Plus initiative. Leveraging the unique advantages of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, Hong Kong will continue to deepen collaboration among the government, industry, academia, research and investment sectors, strengthen ties with provinces and municipalities across the Mainland, and harness the power of AI to drive Hong Kong’s development, thereby contributing to AI innovation in our country and the world at large.”
Jacky Chung, HKTDC Associate Executive Director (Global Network and Supply Chain) and Director of Chinese Mainland, said, “In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony, President Xi Jinping emphasised the importance of jointly building a fair and equitable global AI governance framework, so that the development of AI becomes a symphony of global collaboration. His remarks provided clear direction for our work going forward. As AI shifts from R&D breakthroughs towards large-scale industrial application, Hong Kong will leverage its unique strengths to contribute to the national 15th Five-Year Plan. The HKTDC will continue to actively support Mainland AI enterprises in expanding into international markets, accelerate the adoption of AI across diverse application scenarios, build international innovation and technology platforms, and foster more cross-border collaboration. The Mainland and Hong Kong can further deepen cooperation in areas such as capital, talent and market development, seizing the window of opportunity presented by AI and driving global collaboration and real-world applications.”
The HKTDC also organised a series of business matching and networking activities, including a visit by participating enterprises to a Shanghai-based business incubator on 16 July, the day before the conference, as well as a roundtable and networking dinner with enterprises from Shanghai’s Xuhui District. These activities facilitated business connections between participating Hong Kong enterprises and Chinese Mainland I&T companies, investors and industry representatives, further deepening I&T collaboration between Hong Kong and the Mainland.
The HKTDC also organised the My Favourite Start-up Award during the exhibition, inviting visitors and buyers to vote for the enterprise demonstrating the strongest innovation capability and market potential from among the 18 participating start-ups. The award was presented to HSITP start-up AI SEMI Limited. Driven by AI-Empowered semiconductor manufacturing innovation and centered on AI optical proximity correction (AI-OPC), AI SEMI builds a triangular flywheel of “algorithm + data + process” to reshape the lithography technology value chain. The team comprised seasoned experts from both the semiconductor and AI industries, with decades of experience in Fab R&D and commercialisation.
The HKTDC has been actively bringing Hong Kong enterprises to major international tech shows. Following CES 2026 in Las Vegas in January, Mobile World Congress (MWC) and 4 Years From Now (4YFN) in Barcelona in March, and Viva Technology in Paris in June, the HKTDC once again organised the Hong Kong Tech Pavilion at WAIC, providing start-ups a platform to showcase their technology solutions and connect with international investors.
Since its inception, WAIC has brought together more than 8,100 leading scientists, entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders from around the world, becoming an important platform for advancing AI innovation, industrial collaboration and global AI governance. Under the theme “AI Partnership for a Brighter Future”, this year’s conference brought together more than 1,100 companies and featured over 3,000 innovative products. The conference was held from 17 to 20 July.
List of 18 Start-ups and institutions at the Hong Kong Tech Pavilion:
Media enquiries
For enquiries, please contact HKTDC’s Communications & Public Affairs Department:
| Katy Wong | Tel: (852) 2584 4524 | Email: katy.ky.wong@hktdc.org |
Media Room: http://mediaroom.hktdc.com
About HKTDC
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong’s trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in the Chinese Mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on @hktdc and
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