The merger of Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute and Nano and Advanced Materials Institute, completed in April 2026, is already generating combined AI and advanced materials solutions displayed at LEAP East.
Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute has started to see concrete outcomes from its merger with the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute. The combination of information and communications technology expertise with materials science is creating improved systems in robotics and sensing.
Dr Ying Huang, chief technology officer of ASTRI, noted that the integration has strengthened cross-disciplinary research. He highlighted how AI accelerates materials discovery and cited sensing technologies for robotics as an example where piezoresistive materials and AI-supported optical sensing now work together for better pressure and texture detection.
An AI-enhanced firewall originally tested with a government IoT project has been scaled into a commercial router offered by a telecom firm to small and medium enterprises. At LEAP East, ASTRI also discussed applications of privacy-preserving detection systems with partners from Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern markets.
Ir Dr Ted Suen, chief executive officer of ASTRI, spoke at the event about the shift toward physical AI. The institute now employs around 600 research staff, with over 80 percent holding PhD or master’s degrees, and maintains collaborations across the Greater Bay Area and Southeast Asia.
