(Yicai) Aug. 31 -- The University of Hong Kong has opened the second stage of its Zhangjiang Base in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Science City ahead of the new academic year. The higher education facility, which focuses on cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, will provide hundreds of HKU students with expanded space for research and campus activities.

Phase II comprises Buildings 3 and 5, Yicai learned at the opening ceremony held yesterday. Building 3 houses teaching and research facilities, including AI labs, research and joint laboratories as well as the Institute of Smart Computing. Building 5 provides a range of spaces for sports, student interaction, co-creation and other activities.

The Zhangjiang Base, which was set up in February, is a key component of HKU’s expansion in Shanghai. The initial setup included the university’s School of Computing and Data Science, which focuses on teaching and research in AI, computing and data science, while also developing interdisciplinary research in cutting-edge fields such as smart computing, future electronics and advanced materials manufacturing.

The Yangtze River Delta region, with Shanghai at its core, has a large pool of talent as well as a strong industrial base, Ma Yi, director of HKU’s School of Computing and Data Science, told Yicai. This is particularly the case for AI, which provides favorable conditions for the school’s teaching, research and commercialization of technological achievements.

Since setting up in the city, HKU’s School of Computing and Data Science has established joint laboratories or entered into in-depth project partnerships with over a dozen leading firms, Ma said. These collaborations span fields such as AI, embodied intelligence and healthcare, offering students valuable opportunities to gain exposure to real-world industrial scenarios.

With the advent of the AI era, students armed with only basic knowledge and technical skills will have increasingly limited prospects in the future, Ma said. Education therefore needs to pivot toward developing students’ critical thinking and innovative capabilities, equipping them with the skills needed to solve entirely new problems and tackle unknown challenges.

The HKU Zhangjiang Base currently offers both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Its undergraduate offerings include Bachelor of Engineering degrees in Computer Science and in AI and Data Science. Postgraduate programs include Master of Science programs in Computer Science, Data Science as well as Electronic Commerce and Internet Engineering.

Editor: Kim Taylor