On March 6, the signing and launching ceremony for the Joint Laboratory on Industrial Intelligence, established by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) (hereinafter referred to as “HKUST(GZ)”) and XiwiTech (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “XiwiTech”), was successfully held at HKUST(GZ). The event focused on “AI + Manufacturing,” bringing together distinguished guests from government, industry, academia, research, and application sectors to explore practical pathways for industrial AI to empower the future. As a landmark collaboration in the “Industry + AI” field within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the establishment of this laboratory aims to break down barriers between academia and industry, driving cutting-edge intelligent technologies from the “lab” to the real-world “production line.”
Core representatives from both parties attended the ceremony, including Ms. Jian Jin, Founder and CEO of XiwiTech; Mr. Peng Shan, CTO of XiwiTech; Prof. Lionel M. Ni, President of HKUST(GZ); Prof. Shi-Wei Lee, Vice-President (Research) of HKUST(GZ); Prof. Kai-Shun Wu, Associate Vice-President (Research) and Director of the Triple-I Institute of HKUST(GZ); Prof. Chen Lei, Dean of the Information Hub at HKUST(GZ); Prof. Xiaowen Chu, Acting Head of the Artificial Intelligence Thrust, Information Hub, HKUST(GZ); and Prof. Fugee Tsung, Co-Director of the Triple-I Institute, HKUST(GZ). The milestone moment was also witnessed by Mr. Shi Chunfeng, First-Level Investigator (Municipal Management) of the Guangzhou Municipal Industry and Information Technology Bureau, leaders from relevant government departments of Nansha District, as well as representatives from over 30 enterprises including CEIBS, Yonghua Capital, JinKong Fund, EVE Energy Co., Ltd, AccoPower Co., Ltd, CVTE, and Xiangxue Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Responding to National Strategy
Bridging the "Last Mile" of Industrial Intelligence
Currently, the nation is vigorously promoting the “AI Plus” initiative. The 2026 Government Work Report explicitly called for “fostering new forms of smart economy, deepening and expanding ‘AI Plus,’ and accelerating the promotion of a new generation of smart terminals and agents.” As the mainstay of the national economy, the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing sector is not only a “mandatory question” but a core issue related to high-quality development. The Greater Bay Area, being both the “world’s factory” and a frontier of innovation, urgently needs to close the loop of “technology-industry-ecosystem” through industry-academia-research-application collaborative innovation.
Against this backdrop, HKUST(GZ) and XiwiTech join forces to co-establish the Joint Laboratory on Industrial Intelligence. The laboratory will focus on core areas such as industrial large models and a new generation of industrial intelligent agents. It deeply integrates XiwiTech’s profound industrial know-how in quality management and supply chain collaboration with HKUST(GZ)’s leading research strengths in artificial intelligence, big data, and interdisciplinary studies. Adhering to the “industrial essence” of industrial AI, it aims to precisely address key industry pain points like high R&D costs, difficult root cause analysis, and significant quality fluctuations. The laboratory is committed to rejecting AI “hallucinations,” pursuing PPB-level (parts per billion) and even higher precision. It is dedicated to developing highly reliable, deployable, and scalable industrial intelligent applications, truly solving the “last mile” challenge constraining industrial intelligence development. This effort aims to accelerate China’s manufacturing advancement towards higher-end, intelligent, and autonomous development with robust technological capabilities.
Building a Self-Evolving "Industrial Brain" with Industrial Know-how as the Bridge
At the launch ceremony, representatives from both sides delivered speeches, explaining the laboratory’s mission and value from different perspectives.
Prof. Lionel M. Ni, President of HKUST(GZ), pointed out that the joint laboratory should courageously venture into the technological “deep water,” addressing the real demands on the ground. He expressed his hope that the laboratory would become a “crucible” for cultivating interdisciplinary talents who “understand both industry and AI,” a “transformation hub” bridging the “last mile” from technology to industry, and a “key node” attracting more partners to jointly build an industrial intelligence ecosystem, thereby laying a solid technological foundation for manufacturing upgrading.
Ms. Jian Jin, Founder and CEO of XiwiTech, stated that “AI + Manufacturing” is a mandatory national task and also aligns with XiwiTech’s original aspiration and mission. XiwiTech has been deeply committed to domestic substitution, independently developing products such as a process-based full-lifecycle quality management platform, the statistical analysis domestic substitution tool software Xiwitab, and the intelligent agent “Zhijian Master.” The laboratory will integrate XiwiTech’s industrial know-how with the world-class algorithms from HKUST and HKUST(GZ) to tackle core pain points like quality improvement and process optimization, driving manufacturing enterprises to leap from “data visualization” to “intelligent decision-making and autonomous operation.”
Prof. Shi-Wei Lee, Vice-President (Research) of HKUST(GZ), introduced the university’s laboratory construction system and philosophy in his speech. He emphasized that the integration of industry and academia values “complementary advantages and collaborative progress,” and the joint laboratory will serve as a solid bridge connecting frontier academic exploration with genuine industrial needs. He also noted that the university encourages and maintains an open attitude, welcoming enterprises to explore and establish more diverse joint R&D entities with relevant university teams based on their specific technological directions and development stages, jointly injecting sustained momentum into innovation for industrial intelligence and broader fields.
Setting Sail with Signing
Officially Opening a New Chapter in Industrial Intelligence
Witnessed by all attending guests, representatives from HKUST(GZ) and XiwiTech formally signed the cooperation agreement.
During the launch ceremony, representatives from both sides jointly pressed the start button, marking the official launch of the laboratory. The laboratory will carry out technological research on industrial large models and the new generation of industrial intelligent agents, promoting the transition of industrial AI from technological breakthroughs to industrial implementation, and from serving a few experts to empowering all personnel.
Subsequently, President Lionel M. Ni and Mr. Pan Yingjie, an investor in XiwiTech, presented letters of appointment to the members of the Joint Laboratory Management Committee.
Breaking the Impasse
Exploring the Infinite Possibilities of Industrial AI
During the roundtable forum session themed “Breaking the Impasse, Exploring the Infinite Possibilities of Industrial AI,” hosted by Prof. Fugee Tsung of HKUST(GZ), in-depth exchanges were held on the pain points, trends, and industry-academia-research-application cooperation in industrial AI. Participants included Prof. Xiaowen Chu, Acting Head of the Artificial Intelligence Thrust, Information Hub, HKUST(GZ); Mr. Tang Zheng, Managing Director of Yonghua Investment; Mr. Wang Haiqing, Innovation Director of Huizhou EVE Energy Co., Ltd.; Mr. Li Haifeng, IT Head of AccoPower Co., Ltd; and Mr. Peng Shan, Co-founder and CTO of XiwiTech.
With the successful conclusion of the event, the HKUST(GZ)-XiwiTech Joint Laboratory on Industrial Intelligence has officially set sail. In the future, both parties will conduct in-depth exploration in cutting-edge fields such as industrial large models, intelligent agents, and quality management. They will work hand in hand to create domestically-produced industrial intelligent products that are “easy to use, reliable to use, and desirable to use,” accelerating the implementation of industrial intelligence and assisting Chinese manufacturing in advancing towards the global forefront on the path of lean and intelligent development.
