February 20th, 2024 –Witnessed by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, Westwell, a global leader in artificial intelligence, has officially announced the establishment of its International Headquarters and Overseas Research and Development (R&D) Center in Hong Kong, China, with the aim of leveraging Hong Kong as a gateway to expand its global business.
Image 1: The unveiling of Westwell’s International Headquarters and Overseas R&D Center
Released by the HKSAR Government in December 2022, the "Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint" outlined 4 major directions for innovation and technology (I&T) development. Key areas include developing a digital economy, building a Hong Kong Smart City, and fostering a diverse and healthy environment that encourages collaborative innovation, providing fertile ground for the development and innovation of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence.
During the ceremony, Prof. Sun Dong, Secretary of ITIB, stated that, “The HKSAR Government successfully attracted Westwell to Hong Kong in 2023. Westwell has successfully expanded its business in Hong Kong and international markets by leveraging Hong Kong’s global status, leading to rapid business growth. It is delightful to see that Westwell has officially established its international Headquarters and Overseas R&D Center today, and I believe that Westwell will continue its pragmatic approach to establish roots in Hong Kong, actively explore international markets, and become a leading company with even greater international recognition in the near future."
Image 2: Prof. Sun Dong, Secretary for ITIB
As a representative Chinese company in terms of technology globalization in recent years, As a representative of Chinese technological companies on the global stage, Westwell adheres to the "AInergy" strategy, providing combining new intelligence with new energy. It provides end-to-end digital and sustainable fully digitalized and green solutions for various scenarios sectors such as seaports, dry ports, airports, railway hubs and factories. Westwell has also pioneered multiple intelligent driving productssmart vehicles such as Q-Truck, E-Truck, and Q-Tractor, continuously redefining industry transformation with technology. It So far, Westwell has brought higher increased efficiency and sustainable productivity value to nearly 200 users in 18 countries and regions worldwide.
Over the past year, not only has Westwell’s Hong Kong subsidiary actively promoted the establishment and development of its local business, but it has also expanded its operations to countries such as Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, comprehensively accelerating its global expansion. For instance Westwell signed an agreement with Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe last year for 100 battery-powered autonomous Q-Trucks, jointly building the largest fleet of “cabin-free” autonomous and new energy vehicles (NEV) for commercial use to date.
Image 3: Kenny Tan, Founder and Chairman of Westwell
Kenny Tan, Founder and Chairman of Westwell, stated that, “Westwell pursues not technological innovation but also opportunities to leverage these innovations to serve the world’s sustainable development needs. . Establishing our international headquarters in Hong Kong marks a strategic move in Westwell’s globalization strategy, and will will enable us to better serve international users and further advance our international expansion plans. We are confident in our ability to create a strong international headquarters and plan on putting our R&D Center to good use. . Over the next five years, Westwell will invest HK$300 million to provide approximately 500 jobs for global talents, 70% of which will be dedicated to R&D. . This initiative will accelerate Hong Kong's pace of technological innovation and realize Westwell's dream of participating in international competition and achieving a global reach.
“Westwell chose Hong Kong not only for its advantageous geographical location and position as a hub for international finance, trade, and shipping, but also the HKSAR Government's robust support of innovation with fresh thinking and industry-oriented approach . What’s more, the international and highly open research environment facilitates Westwell in integrating global research resources to drive technological innovation and business expansions.”
Tan emphasized that moving forward, Westwell's Overseas R&D Center will focus on collaborating with local universities and research institutions in Hong Kong to promote the research and application of AI and autonomous vehicle technologies, continuously activating "innovation cells" for green and smart technologies to accelerate the development of Hong Kong's I&T ecosystem.
Image 4: A group photo of the guests
In the Year of the Dragon, Westwell will use Hong Kong as its new strategic base to align with the "golden age" of Hong Kong's I&T development. By leveraging our advantages in technology, talent, and market, we will collaborate with global users and ecosystem partners to drive development. Finally, with outstanding business maturity and innovative capabilities, Westwell will contribute to the construction of an international I&T center in Hong Kong on multiple fronts, propelling the global logistics industry towards a future of smart and sustainable solutions, fostering prosperity for global factors of production.