Lingnan University Gathers 300+ Experts to Decode AI in Higher Ed

• Lingnan University and Times Higher Education launched Digital Universities Asia 2025, focusing on AI-driven education, social innovation, and sustainability.
• The university unveiled its HPC NexT Data Centre and hosted its first HPC Week with NVIDIA experts, empowering students in AI and high-performance computing.
• Ranked No.1 globally for SDG 4 Quality Education, Lingnan is merging liberal arts with digital transformation to lead Hong Kong’s higher education future.

Lingnan University, jointly with Times Higher Education (THE), launched Digital Universities Asia 2025 on 8 July at its Tuen Mun campus. The two-day summit, 8-9 July, was themed 'Powering social innovation with digital transformation', and assembled over 300 top scholars, business leaders, and policy officials from more than 90 universities and 140 organisations across the globe. Attendees examined how new technologies, and specifically artificial intelligence (AI), may revolutionize teaching and learning, and facilitate social progress and sustainability.

Leading digitalization on campus, Lingnan also organized the opening ceremony of the Lingnan HPC NexT Data Centre and its first High-Performance Computing (HPC) Week. The seven-day programme had expert trainers from the Nvidia AI Technology Center (Hong Kong) teaching students and teachers hands-on training in the use of AI and HPC technologies in teaching and research.

Guest officiants were Dr Choi Yuk-lin,Secretary for Education, Ms Lim Mei-mei, THE President for APAC, Mr Andrew YaoCho-fai, Council Chairman of Lingnan University, and Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, and Prof Raymond Chan Hon-fu, Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost and Lam Man Tsan Chair Professor of Scientific Computing.

The coming together of digital technologies and new techniques with conventional approaches to teaching is revolutionizing education. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been actively seeking policy and initiatives that would change the way one teaches, learns, and conducts research to ensure that the next generation is best prepared to deal with the complexity of the world during the exponential era of technology".

"The difficulties we are experiencing are not bordered by boundaries but worldwide and are therefore a global issue that needs to be addressed by all governments, policymakers, schools, and communities coming together. We will collaborate with all to develop an education system that not only responds to the digital age but also strengthens and welcomes all members of our future generations", the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, added.

Ms Lim Mei-mei, THE President for APAC, stated that Lingnan University demonstrates how technology and tradition can complement each other to change lives. Lingnan's liberal arts base is putting students and communities at the heart and harnessing bold digital innovation to bring real-world impact. Its peak performance in SDG 4 Quality Education of the THE Impact Rankings demonstrates its excellence in inclusive and accessible education.

Mr Andrew YaoCho-fai, Council Chairman of Lingnan University said “Today marks a significant milestone in the University’s journey to becoming a leading hub for data science, research, and innovation. Lingnan HPC NexT is a testament to our commitment to harnessing cutting-edge technology to advance research and learning. It arrives at the right moment to empower our students with the tools to venture into cutting-edge research in social issues in the community, in developing leaders and innovators who can guide Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area towards a more data-driven future," and that, as part of its strategic plan, the University founded the School of Data Science (SDS) last year, combining AI, computer science, digital arts, and business to provide excellent programmes ranging from bachelor's degrees through PhDs.

In his address, Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, observed that the theme of the summit coordinated with Lingnan's recent strategic focus on AI and digital transformation for higher education.

"These summit and related activities provide worthwhile opportunities for our students and staff to develop first-hand experience in new technologies, better appreciate their potential applications in education and research, and enhance knowledge transfer. Lingnan is playing a more and more important role in promoting Hong Kong's economic development and propelling industry change. Our unremitting pursuit of community sustainability has also received global acclaim: Lingnan was ranked No.1 in the world for Quality Education (SDG 4) in the THE Impact Rankings 2025. We are the first tertiary institution in Hong Kong to achieve a first place in the world in any category of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, consolidating Hong Kong's global reputation as an international hub of higher education".

The keynote addresses and panel sessions of the summit were hosted by the representatives of top universities in Hong Kong and Asia, who discussed the extensive implications of digitalization on higher education and the public. The agenda rested on four main themes: teaching, learning and assessment changes; adopting the digital campus; facilitating student success in the age of digitalization, and digitally reinventing the research experience.

One of the highlights was the panel 'High performance computing for research and education', composed of Dr Simon See, Global Head of the NVIDIA AI Technology Center, and Lingnan scholars Prof Raymond Chan Hon-fu, Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost and Lam Man Tsan Chair Professor of Scientific Computing; Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research) and J.K. Lee Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence; and Prof Li Jia, Associate Professor of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies. They discussed how HPC allows educators, researchers, and students to tackle complex interdisciplinary challenges in clean energy, finance, and the creative industries, and also addressed HPC’s strengths in computational power, high-speed networks, and large-scale data storage, as well as its role in decision-making, problem-solving, and applied education. The panellists also stressed the role of critical thought and human judgement in effective utilization of AI and HPC resources.

In order to promote the application of HPC technology among Lingnan people and drive teaching and research innovation using high-end computing, Lingnan's Information Technology Services Centre (ITSC) organized the University's first HPC Week from 7-11 July. Expert trainers from the NVIDIA AI Technology Center (Hong Kong) were invited to deliver a customized NVIDIA Boot Camp for Lingnan students, offering an intensive overview of HPC technologies that allowed them to learn basic concepts and tools. Students then joined groups to design AI agents with machine learning tools.

One of the highlights of HPC Week was a Deep Learning Institute workshop, where students and faculty investigated real-world applications of AI and deep learning technologies. The workshop provided an opportunity for staff and students to interact directly with industry experts, learn the latest in AI applications, and witness deep learning firsthand. Another technical workshop exposed them to the NVIDIA software platform and showed best practices for GPU computing - an effective approach to large-scale data processing using graphics processing units that enhances research power in data and AI model building.