Hong Kong now has a place where robots go to practice being useful. On October 15, 2026, the city opened its first Embodied AI International Applications Hub, housed in the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) Building in Kowloon Tong.
What the hub actually does
The facility is built to test and fine-tune embodied AI systems and humanoid robots inside simulated real-world settings. Embodied AI is the industry term for artificial intelligence that lives inside a physical body.
The hub is focused on five sectors:
- Manufacturing
- Smart logistics
- Retail services
- Inspection and maintenance
- Public services
The launch comes with a roster of collaborators. The hub is starting with seven technology partners, including Unitree Robotics, Galbot and Robotera, plus eight scenario partners.
Technology partners bring the robots and the software. Scenario partners supply the environments and use cases those robots need to be tested against.
The mainland connection
HKPC Chairman Sunny Tan framed the hub as a strategic asset for robotics manufacturers based on the mainland. His pitch: those companies can train their robots for international scenarios without having to leave the region.
The research describes the hub as reflecting the alignment of Hong Kong’s policies with national AI objectives. Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong celebrated the launch.
Follow the money
Two funding figures stand out. The HKPC plans to add 1 billion HKD to its AI subsidy scheme in 2026.
Separately, the government will prepare a 10-billion-HKD industrial fund aimed at supporting investment in AI and humanoid robotics.
How Hong Kong got here
The hub did not appear out of nowhere. In May 2026, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) set up the city’s first full-stack embodied AI lab.
“Full-stack” here means working across the whole system, from the underlying intelligence to the physical machine. The CUHK lab handled the research end of the pipeline.
The new hub sits further downstream. If a university lab asks whether a robot can learn a task, a testing hub asks whether it can perform that task reliably in a messy, real-world-style setting.
Five months separate the two milestones. The hub’s establishment also aligns with China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which emphasizes AI integration and robotics advancement within the Greater Bay Area.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Diego Almada Lopez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.