On April 16, GETech and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) signed a cooperation agreement to jointly establish the "HKU-GETech Joint Industrial AI Laboratory." Professor Shen Zuojun, HKU's Vice-President (Research), was appointed as the Honorary Chief Scientist. The lab will deeply integrate HKU's AI research strengths with GETech's industrial AI applications in advanced manufacturing, focusing on the "innovation and practical application of industrial AI technologies." This marks another milestone in GETech's industrial AI advancement following the iteration of its Octopus Agentic AI platform earlier this year. For the first time, GETech has consolidated the entire chain of industrial AI R&D, scenario validation, and commercialization in Hong Kong, reflecting not only confidence in Hong Kong's role as an international hub but also a forward-looking strategy for global business expansion.
The signing ceremony was held at HKU, with speeches by HKU President Professor Zhang Xiang and TCL founder and Chairman Li Dongsheng. Attendees included Professor Shen Zuojun, HKU Vice-President (Research); Professor Maggie Ma, HKU Associate Vice-President (Research and Innovation); and He Jun, TCL Industries Vice President and CEO of GETech. The event attracted attention and coverage from multiple Hong Kong media outlets and investment institutions.
GETech plans to invest tens of millions of HKD over five years in the lab's construction and operation, focusing on research into the innovation and practical application of industrial AI technologies. Research areas will include supply chain optimization engines, AMHS intelligent material handling scheduling systems, agent and hyper-automation applications, and AI large model and industrial big data platform development.
Professor Shen Zuojun, appointed as GETech's Honorary Chief Scientist, will serve as the Director of the Joint Industrial AI Laboratory Management Committee to drive the implementation of R&D projects. Notably, Professor Shen, as HKU's Vice-President (Research), is also a Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, INFORMS, and POMS, with significant achievements in operations optimization. In his closing remarks, he emphasized that the collaboration will leverage HKU's research strengths and TCL's industrial experience to build a globally influential lab, advancing manufacturing and supply chains in China and worldwide.
The lab's first R&D project, the AMHS intelligent material handling scheduling system, is a joint effort by HKU's research team and GETech's AMHS team. It aims to achieve a breakthrough in AI algorithms for scheduling thousands of OHT cranes, strongly promoting domestic substitution. Once successfully applied, the project can be replicated in semiconductor manufacturing clusters in Malaysia, Vietnam, and other regions, reducing smart transformation costs for local enterprises.
In fact, TCL Industrial Research Institute, GETech, and HKU have already collaborated on projects like supply chain AI and research outcome commercialization under the Hong Kong government's "RAISe+" program. The program may provide funding of up to HKD 100 million, supporting the sustainable growth of research projects in Hong Kong. This model not only offers a replicable path for smart upgrades in Southeast Asian and global manufacturing but also creates hundreds of research positions, nurturing industrial AI talent in Hong Kong.
In the future, the widespread application of GETech's industrial AI research outcomes and commercial empowerment will help establish Hong Kong as a hub for industrial AI innovation. Meanwhile, the triple drivers of policy, capital, and technology will enhance both parties' industrial AI capabilities and global leadership.
