HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 5 February 2026 - The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Intel Corporation (Intel) announced the establishment of the HKUST-Intel Joint Laboratory (Joint Lab). At the heart of the project is a three-year research program that will explore high-efficiency near-memory computing (NMC) architectures for addressing challenges in the performance and energy efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Through innovations in software-hardware co-design, the collaboration aims to provide key insights into the future development of intelligent devices and sustainable AI systems.

The signatories were Prof. Tim Kwan-Ting CHENG, Vice-President for Research and Development of HKUST, and Mr. SONG Jiqiang, Director of Intel Labs China. Prof. GUO Yike, Provost of HKUST; Mr. WANG Zhicong, Chairman of Intel China, and Ms. Gabriela Cruz THOMPSON, Senior Director ofUniversity Research and Collaboration, Intel witnessed the agreement.

Prof. Cheng stated, "The establishment of the Joint Lab is a significant initiative, one that aligns with HKUST's 'Strategic Plan 2031', which identifies 'AI, Future Computing, and Electronics' as a core research pillar. It reflects HKUST's continued commitment to translating research outcomes into practical applications. As a key research focus at HKUST, microelectronics will leverage our combined strengths in software-hardware co-design and high-efficiency near-memory computing to jointly explore new pathways for high-efficiency intelligent computing."

Mr. Wang said, "Intel has long been committed to fostering an open ecosystem, continuously advancing collaboration with academia to accelerate the industrial application of research outcomes. HKUST possesses deep expertise and significant influence in the exploration of future technologies within computer science and engineering. We look forward to working closely with HKUST scholars to jointly explore more efficient and sustainable computing paradigms, advancing green technology innovation and sustainable development."

The joint Lab will be led by Prof. XIE Yuan,Fang Professor of Engineering and Chair Professor of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, HKUST. It will focus on researching technical challenges related to computing, memory, I/O bandwidth, and energy efficiency in intelligent devices.