Hong Kong enterprise AI adoption sees upswing on back of government policy support The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in Hong Kong is on the rise, as enterprises look to deploy advanced computing infrastructure in their premises and in the city’s data centres, according to industry experts at a recent tech event. “We understand that businesses are eager to jump on the AI bandwagon to improve their efficiency and performance, but the challenge is how to drive efficiencies and optimise processes without manual intervention and complexity,” said Jackie Kwong, general manager of Dell Technologies’ Hong Kong and Macau operations, at the computer maker’s 2024 Dell Technologies Forum held last Friday. “Over the past 12 months, we have seen an increase in customers’ inquiries related to implementing AI to drive their business.” Round Rock, Texas-based Dell – one of the world’s top-three vendors of AI-optimised servers in the second quarter, according to Counterpoint Research – is pitching its so-called Dell AI Factory approach, first introduced in the US in May, to accelerate adoption of the technology in Hong Kong and Macau. The company estimates that all data centre operators in Hong Kong are already using its servers or host these servers in their facilities. Data centres are secure, temperature-controlled facilities that house large-capacity servers and data-storage systems, with multiple power sources and high-bandwidth internet connections. More enterprises are now using data centres to host or manage computing infrastructure for their AI projects. “Growing interest by businesses, along with government support,” will ensure that Hong Kong steps up development of a “strong AI infrastructure” to support local industries, said Alex Chan, vice-president for enterprise and digital solutions at data-centre services provider NTT Com Asia, on the sidelines of the event. Dell’s forum, which saw more than 700 people take part in Hong Kong, reflects a spike in local interest in AI, more than a week after Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po issued a policy statement on the responsible application of AI in the city’s financial market. Key points of the policy statement include: financial institutions formulating a strategy on how AI systems should be implemented and used; the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology making its self-developed AI model and computing resources available to the financial services industry; and financial regulators updating the existing rules and guidelines on AI practice. A panel discussion at the Dell forum – which included NTT Com Asia’s Chan, Hong Kong Polytechnic University professor Andy Chun and Manulife Asia Data Office principal architect Eugene Lai – indicated that financial institutions and other enterprises in Hong Kong are looking to explore solutions that not only enhance their AI capabilities, but also meet regulatory requirements. According to the findings of a study published by the Hong Kong Productivity Council in November last year, 41 per cent of the city’s enterprises are using AI or intend to adopt AI in their operations. The survey’s respondents were from 267 companies, of which 81 per cent were small- and medium-sized enterprises, and 19 per cent were large firms. Dell’s Kwong, meanwhile, said local customers employing the Dell AI Factory approach are “laying the groundwork for AI” adoption in the city. That approach comprises a portfolio of products and services tailored for different AI workloads and various environments such as cloud computing, data centres, AI personal computer workstations and so-called edge locations, where data used by AI systems are collected from. Cloud computing, for example, enables enterprises to manage or distribute over the internet a range of software and other digital resources as an on-demand service, just like electricity from a power grid. These resources are stored inside data centres. For CLP Holdings, Hong Kong’s largest power supplier, data centres represent one of the biggest sources for growth, accounting for 5.6 per cent of the firm’s total sales in the city in the first nine months of the year, up from 3.9 per cent in the same period five years ago, according to CLP chief executive Chiang Tung-keung in a Post report last week. https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3286216/hong-kong-enterprise-ai-adoption-sees-upswing-back-government-policy-support (ICE HONG KONG)

Fonte notizia: South China Morning Post