Shanghai (GASGOO) – July 7, 2025, BYD Auto Industry Company Limited and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (“HKUST”) have signed a Strategic Cooperative Framework Agreement to jointly establish the “HKUST-BYD Joint Lab for Essentialized AI” according to a post on BYD’s WeChat account.
The new lab focuses on cutting-edge research in robotics and intelligent manufacturing, aiming to promote innovation and accelerate industrial applications for next-generation technologies.
Photo Credit: BYD
The joint lab located at Hkust’s Campus will receive tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars in funding from BYD over the next few years. This collaboration will focus on developing embodied intelligence systems. This is an AI system that allows you to interact and understand the physical world through robotics. The research highlights data-driven approaches, including new ways to collect operational data in both simulated and real-world environments, with the aim of reducing data acquisition costs. These datasets are used to train large-scale embodied AI models that can autonomously perform diverse tasks in national and industrial settings.
In addition to robotics, both parties will also deepen their autonomous driving collaboration. By combining academic research and industry experience, the partnership aims to enhance the safety and reliability of advanced driver assistance and autonomous driving systems.
Commenting on the partnership, Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD, said: “In the early stages, we quickly expanded with the benefits of cost and efficiency. But now we need to challenge innovation and high quality development to lead the next stage of China’s manufacturing evolution. Manufacturing along the global value chain is contributing to the country’s high quality growth.”
BYD noted that embodied intelligence represents the next major leap in AI development. By integrating algorithms with robotics, future systems will acquire the ability to actively perceive, interpret, and interact with the physical environment responsible for the basis of transformative applications. Drawing on BYD’s industrial expertise in AI and robotics and the academic strength of HKUST, the joint lab aims to become a global hub for intelligent manufacturing and robotics innovation.
