The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and JD.com today signed a cooperation agreement to establish the "HKUST - JD.com Joint Laboratory" (Joint Lab). This collaboration will focus on pioneering research in artificial intelligence (AI) and embodied intelligence technologies to build a world-class platform for innovation and address critical technological challenges in smart supply chains.
Witnessed by HKUST Provost Prof. Yike GUO and Vice Chair of Strategic Executive Committee and Chief Executive Officer of JD.com Ms. Sandy XU, the agreement was signed by HKUST Vice-President for Research and Development, Prof. Tim CHENG, and JD.com representatives.
Prof. Tim Cheng remarked, "This joint lab represents more than a partnership; it is a fusion of academic frontier research with real-world industrial scale. By marrying HKUST's pioneering work in AI and robotics with JD.com's vast logistics network and health data, we are creating a living laboratory. Our goal is to not only solve core technological bottlenecks but to fundamentally redefine the efficiency and intelligence of supply chains and proactive health management. This collaboration will serve as a powerful engine for developing new quality productive forces, strengthening Hong Kong's role as an innovation hub and contributing to the nation's strategic technological advancement."
Ms. Sandy Xu stated, "The potential of AI lies in its deep integration with industries. When AI becomes truly embedded in real-world industries, the trillion-scale potential of every sector is only at the beginning. We look forward to working with HKUST to bring more AI capabilities from the laboratory to real-world applications, extending proven cost-reduction and efficiency-enhancement models across logistics and other key sectors. Together, we aim to achieve significant cost reductions and establish a new benchmark for AI applications within the era of the super robust supply chain."
HKUST will leverage its strong academic and research capabilities and provide state-of-the-art facilities to support the Joint Lab in advancing research in smart logistics, robotics, AI, and health management. JD.com will contribute its extensive industry expertise and scenario data from sectors such as health, retail, and manufacturing. This support will include application scenario recommendations, insights into market trends, industry development, and support in accessing relevant data or testing environments, all aimed at establishing a highly collaborative "AI+" logistics application ecosystem.
The Joint Lab's key research areas include:
1. Spatial Vision and Navigation: Enhancing autonomous positioning and path planning for warehouse robots and delivery vehicles using computer vision and deep learning.
2. Hardware-Software Collaborative Edge Computing: Developing edge computing for real-time intelligent decision-making in drones and autonomous vehicles, reducing cloud dependency.
3. 3D Vision Reconstruction and Generation: Applying 3D scene techniques for intelligent warehouse modeling, digital logistics, and virtual testing environments.
4. Multimodal Visual Understanding: Integrating images, text, and speech for personalized recommendations, product recognition, and voice-assisted inventory management.
5. Flexible Robotic Arm and Tactile Sensing: Developing adaptable grasping capabilities for automated sorting robots to handle complex products.
6. Indoor Wireless Network Positioning: Creating high-precision indoor positioning methods for unmanned vehicles and cargo tracking in warehouses.
7. Disease Prediction: Leveraging JD.com's health big data and AI algorithms to build early prediction and diagnostic models for diseases like tumors.
The joint Lab will be led by Prof. ZHANG Fumin, Director of the HKUST Cheng Kar-Shun Robotics Institute, Acting Head and Chair Professor of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Chair Professor of the Department of Electronic and Computing Engineering and Department of Ocean Science. In addition to providing research opportunities for HKUST students and postdoctoral researchers, the Joint Lab will organize seminars and research exchange activities to nurture talent and inject new momentum into the innovation and technology ecosystems of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.
As a leading research university in Asia, HKUST has achieved numerous internationally recognized cutting-edge breakthroughs in AI and related fields. Through this collaboration, the two parties will establish a regular and structured exchange platform and foster a sustainable innovation ecosystem by opening up experimental environments, sharing technological resources, and jointly cultivating talents. JD.com's dedicated talent recruitment initiatives, JD Tech Genius Team Program (JD TGT) and JD Postdoctoral Research Center, will continue to expand hiring efforts across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. These programs aim to enable more young talents to effectively research in AI technologies and further accelerate the translation of innovative research achievements into industrial applications.
This partnership underscores HKUST's commitment to industry-academia-research collaboration. By sharing of resources and technologies, the Joint Lab aims to generate innovative that accelerate the integration of AI across sectors, thereby advancing the technology's development in Hong Kong and the nation.
