"It's great that there is a concentration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC) in this area. It reminds one of what happened in the San Francisco Bay Area, particularly around Silicon Valley."
This praise of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) came from Jack Dongarra, recipient of the 2021 Turing Award, in an exclusive interview with South following a panel discussion at the International Forum of HPC & AI Co-Driven Innovation held in Shenzhen in late May.
Jack Dongarra stands in front of the billboard for the International Forum of HPC & AI Co-Driven Innovation in Shenzhen on May 24, 2026.
Opportunities for HPC and AI development in the GBA
Dongarra has visited the GBA many times for academic conferences and forums. In his view, the region's HPC and AI development is comparable to that of the San Francisco Bay Area in the US.
"There's a concentration of technology, people, and funding in the GBA. All of these come together and reinforce one another to create a stronger ecosystem."
"In the San Francisco Bay Area, we have established tech companies and many start-ups. I see here in the Greater Bay Area a similar level of interest and motivation. You already have a number of companies here that are developing technology," he added.
Notably, Dongarra highlighted talent in the GBA. He noted that the large number of skilled graduates from universities in this region could be very helpful in establishing a hub for HPC and AI.
On May 26, Shenzhen-based telecoms giant Huawei unveiled its chip design approach at a major industry conference. It referred to the approach as the Tau Scaling Law, describing it as "a new guiding principle for the future of semiconductors."
The new principle is expected to provide an alternative path for the development of HPC and AI.
Thanks to the supporting policies in talent and education, technology finance, and cross-border collaboration across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, the GBA has emerged as a leading innovation hub in China and globally.
There are over 150 universities, vocational schools, and technical colleges currently located within the GBA. The region boasts a world-class cluster of higher education institutions. It also ranks first among global bay areas in the number of universities listed in the QS World University Rankings Top 100 (2026).
The Turing Award recipient outlined three secrets for the young AI and HPC researchers, namely, expect to fail, aim high, and network with people.
"Don't think you're going to hit a home run every time," he noted. Through trial and error, young researchers make mistakes and keep trying. They will hopefully improve things in the next iteration and maybe overcome some of the limitations.
The US should pursue cooperation with China, not confrontation
Compared with the US, Dongarra believes that China has caught up in many areas of technology, such as DeepSeek, an outstanding performer in AI reasoning. He also noted that the National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen houses a very impressive supercomputer, which is expected to become one of the top computers in the world.
"The US has sometimes imposed limits on the flow of technology to China. China has pivoted and is now capable of developing its own technology in response to the US embargo on certain technologies," he confessed.
However, Dongarra hopes the two countries can collaborate in many areas. "We have a lot to learn from each other. High-performance computing is one thing. AI is certainly one area where we can perhaps collaborate," he noted.
During Trump's state visit to China in mid-May, both China and the US reached an important consensus on building a constructive relationship of strategic stability.
As a scientist, Dongarra expects his open research and published papers to help people understand what he has learned and discovered. He also hopes that other researchers can use these ideas and improve on them by iterating and making the next situation better.
"I hope we can reach a point of more open collaboration and information exchange in this area, perhaps returning to the level we had 20 years ago, where there was more interaction between the two sides," he claimed.
Reporter | Zhang Ruijun
Photo | Zhang Ruijun
