Hong Kong’s focus on AI breakthroughs entices healthcare and robotics firms

Xunfei Healthcare, which was founded in 2016, and specialises in AI‑driven diagnostics, digital therapeutic and clinical decision support for primary care physicians, is one notable entrant in this sector. Its parent company, iFlytek, which was established in Hefei, Anhui province, in 1999, is a leading company in the development and provision of AI speech and language technology.

AI and data science has also been designated as one of five strategic industries under Hong Kong’s Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES), a government body launched in 2022 to encourage high‑potential global and mainland companies to set up operations in the city. Up to October, it had attracted over 100 strategic enterprise partners, HK$60 billion in investment, and generated about 22,000 local jobs.

In his 2025 policy address, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu pledged to “step up the promotion of AI as a core industry for Hong Kong’s development”. The city has committed HK$1 billion (US$128 million) to accelerate breakthroughs in AI research and strengthen the links between academia and industry by establishing the Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Institute next year.

Its long-established, unrivalled connectivity with mainland China and the rest of the world is helping it serve as a leading example of how major cities can embrace