The Hong Kong government announced the 2026 to 2027 Financial Budget, with no mention of virtual assets.

Foresight News reports that the Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Paul Chan, delivered the Government’s Budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year at the Legislative Council. The budget theme is “Innovation-driven, Financial Empowerment; Diversified Development, Caring for the People,” emphasizing that Hong Kong will serve the real economy through the “Financial +” model under the national “14th Five-Year Plan,” accelerating the mutual empowerment of finance and innovation technology.

The Budget mentions Hong Kong’s unique advantages in AI, life and health sciences, fintech, new materials, and new energy sectors, with related content on AI and computing power as follows:

Artificial Intelligence +

We are accelerating the industrialization of AI and promoting deep integration of AI with various industries, while also encouraging widespread application of AI to achieve universal usage and benefits.

AI+ and Industry Development Strategy Committee

Given the rapid technological innovation driven by AI applications, with new technologies, industries, and products emerging swiftly, I will establish and chair the “AI+ and Industry Development Strategy Committee” to set strategies for AI-driven industrial transformation and development, create favorable conditions, and invite experts, scholars, enterprises, and park companies to participate. The initial focus will be on life and health sciences and embodied intelligence.

AI Empowering Industries

At the foundational R&D level, the InnoHK Hong Kong Innovation Research Platform has funded 16 labs focused on AI and robotics. Research focuses include AI-driven robotic technology, which can be widely applied in healthcare, logistics, smart manufacturing, construction, and other industries.

The government has launched a HKD 3 billion “Artificial Intelligence Funding Scheme,” which has approved nearly 30 research projects in areas such as large language models, new materials, and biomedicine, strengthening local AI research and application.

We are actively aligning with the national “AI+” initiative, driving “AI industrialization and AI integration in industries” through application scenarios. The Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Institute will commence operations in the second half of the year to support AI project R&D and成果转化, and will provide opinions on governance frameworks and regulatory systems for AI development.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and Cyberport have recently conducted the second phase of sandbox testing, focusing on exploring “AI against AI” to promote safer and more responsible AI use in banking.

Computing Power Infrastructure

Currently, Hong Kong’s overall computing power reaches 50 trillion floating-point operations per second (50 PetaFLOPS), serving as a crucial foundation for AI development.

The Sha Ling Data Park will further enhance overall computing capacity, with a project offering 250,000 square meters of floor space. The tender results will be announced shortly. The park will provide vital support for data and computing power needs in AI applications.

Embodied Intelligence

AI development is moving from large language models toward embodied intelligence that interacts with the physical world. Innovations in technology and applications across different platforms (such as robots) will continuously transform production processes, business operations, and even lifestyles.

Currently, various tech parks and Hong Kong investment companies support startups in embodied intelligence. The government will actively promote the construction of an embodied intelligence ecosystem and product applications.

Quantum Technology

Quantum technology can significantly enhance computing power, communication security, and sensing accuracy. These technological breakthroughs will create many new applications. Universities are conducting multiple studies through platforms like InnoHK, including developing AI quantum simulation platforms and advancing the integration of AI with quantum computing. Hong Kong has also established two national key laboratories related to quantum technology. The government will actively promote foundational research and industrial applications in this field.