Hong Kong is an attractive regional hub for mainland Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-ups looking for a bridgehead to expand into overseas markets, according to company executives at a technology-themed event on Wednesday.
CloudWalk Technology, a Guangzhou-based AI company that started in 2015 as a vendor of facial recognition software, was looking into establishing an entity in Hong Kong to facilitate its overseas business development, co-founder and director Liu Jun said on the sidelines of the symposium themed “Greater Bay Area and innovative technology”.
He noted that the Greater Bay Area – which encompasses Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland cities – boasted an innovative atmosphere rivalling that of Hangzhou, the eastern city that is home to companies like DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics.
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Hong Kong offered Greater Bay Area companies several advantages, including access to high-quality talent, global influence and supportive policies for innovation, Liu said.
CloudWalk’s plan to establish a foothold in Hong Kong reflects a broader trend of Chinese AI start-ups entering the city to raise funds, attract international talent and connect with global markets. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is looking to AI as a means to upgrade its traditional sectors and enhance the city’s development prospects.
The Hong Kong government recently announced it was allocating HK$1 billion (US$129 million) to establish an AI institute. Wednesday’s event was hosted by the Bay Area Hong Kong Centre, an organisation chaired by former Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying to promote regional integration, together with the Asia Pacific Taiwan Federation of Industry and Commerce.
Chinese voice-recognition firm iFlyTek, which set up its global headquarters in Hong Kong in July, is also leveraging the city’s market to expand globally.
“The delivery standards for IT solutions [here] align with the best in the world,” iFlytek’s head of Hong Kong and Macau, Yan Qingxi, said at the event. “If we can serve the Hong Kong market well, we can serve any international market.”
The company had been investing heavily on Cantonese-based voice recognition solutions to meet the needs of multinational firms operating in Hong Kong, Yan said.
Guangzhou-based autonomous-driving company Pony.ai, which said in January it was planning to launch its robotaxis in Hong Kong, was “confident” about its technology, vice-president Mo Luyi said. But the firm was taking additional time to communicate with the Hong Kong government to prepare for local commercialisation, she added.
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