Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Data Center Officially Inaugurated, SenseTime Infrastructure Empowers Shenzhen-Hong Kong AI Industry Development

The Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Data Center (“Qianhai AIDC”), located at the Qianhai Information Hub Building, Shenzhen, was officially inaugurated recently. The planning of Qianhai AIDC was a joint effort by the Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen Municipality (Qianhai Authority), SenseTime, and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, while the Qianhai Sci-tech Innovation Group and SenseTime jointly invested and constructed the project. The Qianhai AIDC aspires to be the largest AIDC with the highest computing power in the Greater Bay Area with a computing power of 500 Petaflops for the initial phase. Empowered by SenseTime’s SenseCore AI infrastructure to provide the work standardization and technical support for the computing power-driven operations, AI enterprises and institutions in Shenzhen and Hong Kong will have access to its high quality and efficient computing power services. The Qianhai AIDC aims to cultivate high-quality development of AI, promote high-level application of AI across various fields, and drive new industry development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. 

Dr. Xu Li, Chairman and CEO of SenseTime, remarked: “AI has achieved leapfrog development in 2023 and entered the era of AI 2.0 powered by large models. Advanced intelligent computing power has emerged as the most dynamic and new form of productivity and become an important strategic resource. Qianhai has intensified its focus on the construction of science and technology infrastructure and investments in the field, putting it at the forefront of the nation’s transformation of economic development. Leveraging SenseTime’s success in establishing one of Asia’s largest AIDC, we are committed to utilizing our expertise in AI to fuel growth and showcase applications in Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation, large model algorithm, as well as AI industry and investments, and contributing to the integrated development of Hong Kong and Qianhai.” 

The rapid growth of AI industry in recent years has led to a rising demand for AI computing power. As a result, AIDC has become a crucial foundation and cornerstone for industry development. Qianhai has a strong industrial foundation and distinctive regional advantages in information infrastructure and digital economy. The launch of Qianhai AIDC aligns with Shenzhen's industrial planning layout, fills the gap in AI computing power, and helps to build an AI industry cluster.  

Based in the Qianhai Cooperation Zone and leveraging Hong Kong's advantageous resources, the Qianhai AIDC integrates intelligent computing services, cross-research, and industry innovation. It aims to facilitate profound integration and synergy across industries in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and foster high-quality development in optimizing production models, innovating business models, strengthening industrial cooperation, creating industrial clusters promoting talent mobility. Moreover, it strives to drive high-level applications in all facets of AI in the Greater Bay Area, bolster the development of smart city and the digital economy, and with the strength of Qianhai, contribute to Shenzhen's efforts to establish itself as an international science and technology innovation hub. 

In view of the construction needs of the Qianhai AIDC, SenseTime strategizes on "big data, high computing power, strong algorithm" rooted in SenseTime’s SenseCore AI infrastructure. SenseCore not only provides efficient, secure, and reliable ultra-high computing power resources, but also super algorithm models and big data resources to cater to industrial development and social applications by enabling data sharing and empowerment. It will help transform Qianhai into a national source of model output and data sharing stronghold. The computing power of the first construction phase is expected to reach 500 Petaflops (FP16), with an AI computing power scale of 500 quadrillion operations per second. This capacity equates to processing 1.6 billion images, 1.9 million hours of voice translation, and 7,000 kilometers of autonomous driving AI data in just one hour. In addition, SenseCore’s model-as-a-service approach for customers enables customized models to achieve precise industry empowerment, showcasing SenseCore’s immense computing power and formidable engineering capabilities. 

As SenseTime’s next-generation AI infrastructure to empower a new AI-driven production paradigm, SenseCore focuses on the development, generation, and application of AI large models with efficiency, cost effectiveness and scalability. In 2022, SenseTime’s AIDC, a key component of SenseCore, officially commenced operations and emerged as one of the largest AI data centers in Asia. As of the end of 2023, the overall computing power of the SenseCore reached a staggering 6800 Petaflops. In addition to supporting SenseTime's own large model research and development, it also facilitates external clients in training large models and deploying applications. Over 1,000 large models with billions of parameters have been trained in SenseCore since 2023, which accelerates the pace of technological innovation in the industry and supports the implementation and deployment of dozens of generative AI applications. 

The establishment of the Qianhai AIDC is a significant step for SenseCore in reducing access barriers to large-scale AI applications across various industries, thereby leading the innovation and development of AI computing ecosystem. By significantly lowering the costs of AI applications and enhancing the computing efficiency, the Qianhai AIDC is able to provide comprehensive computing services and a collaboration platform for universities, research institutions and enterprises to further support the growth of industrial integration and new industrial clusters, expedite the transformation and commercialization of innovative achievements. It also helps the government to achieve AI-powered decision-making and regulatory enhancement, strengthen governance and boost public service capabilities. 

The inauguration event included a signing ceremony for Qianhai AIDC intentional customers. An entrusted operation agreement was also signed with Qianhai Big Data Resource Management Center Co., Ltd. Drawing on years of experience in innovation and technology development at the Hong Kong Science Park, as well as its deep-rooted expertise in the field of AI in China, SenseTime has introduced over 20 customers in the Greater Bay Area to the Qianhai AIDC. The Qianhai AIDC serves as a bridge for SenseTime to facilitate in-depth integration and synergy across industries in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, foster high-quality development in optimizing production models, innovating business models, strengthening industrial cooperation, creating industrial clusters, promoting talent exchange, and catalyze the exponential growth of the computing power economy.