HKT Launches Data Centre AI Superhighway in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) has announced the launch of its AI Data Centre Inter-connect (DCI) Superhighway service, which the company claims represents the first offering of its type in Hong Kong.

As Hong Kong's government accelerates investment in AI infrastructure to compete in the global technology landscape, several Chinese companies are simultaneously developing the foundational systems required to enable AI capabilities across the region.

The South China Morning Post reported that Hong Kong's government channelled billions into AI infrastructure development, with HK$2.84bn (US$364m) allocated specifically for a semiconductor facility.

Ultra-low latency connectivity infrastructure

HKT's new 3.2Tbps AI Data Centre Inter-connect (DCI) Superhighway service features ultra-low latency capabilities designed to allow AI infrastructure providers to scale their training and inference operations more efficiently.

Steve Ng, Managing Director of Commercial Group at HKT, says: "At HKT, we see connectivity as the critical foundation of Hong Kong's AI future. This next-generation fibre network delivers ultra-low latency, high-speed and secure data exchange to unlock the full potential of AI development across the city."

Steve explains that the infrastructure creates essential connectivity for the Northern Metropolis, establishing links between the Hetao area and Hong Kong's existing data centre facilities.

The service represents an evolution from HKT's 800Gbps AI Superhighway. The 3.2Tbps AI DCI Superhighway incorporates advanced industry protocols including Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA), RDMA Over Converged Ethernet, Multipath Reliable Connection and Ultra-Ethernet Transport.

According to HKT, the system provides AI infrastructure providers and institutions with rapid, seamless connectivity to computing resources distributed across multiple data centre locations, addressing the requirements of next-generation AI workloads.

Hong Kong push on data centres

In June, the South China Morning Post disclosed that Hong Kong's government had allocated 11 hectares of land to a Chinese computing technology firm for the construction of a large-scale data centre at Sandy Ridge.

The Hong Kong-based publication reported that this development could increase the region's computing capacity by 36 times current levels by 2032.

As data centre deployment accelerates across the territory, demand for supporting connectivity infrastructure continues to grow.

HKT's DCI will utilise advanced hollow core fibre technology on the planned route between Lok Ma Chau Loop and Tseung Kwan O, delivering approximately 30% lower latency compared to conventional fibre optic cables.

The company states that combining high bandwidth with ultra-low latency maintains synchronisation across thousands of GPUs distributed between data centres, potentially reducing compute time and costs by minimising data transmission delays whilst lowering power-per-bit consumption to enhance energy efficiency.

Ricky Kwong, Head of Fixed Network Engineering, HKT and CEO, Fiber Link Global, says: "HKT is firmly committed to supporting innovation in Hong Kong, with the ambition of positioning our city as one of the most advanced I&T hubs in the world. To realise this vision, we are upgrading the AI Superhighway across Hong Kong's major data centre clusters."

Regional AI infrastructure development

The Boston Consulting Group has characterised the US approach to AI competition as 'winning through scale', with accelerated capital investment and extensive data centre infrastructure buildout to meet AI-driven demand.

Hong Kong operates as a special administrative region of China, functioning as a self-governed entity under the "one country, two systems" arrangement established in 1997, when sovereignty transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China.

As competition intensifies between China and the US in frontier AI model development, Hong Kong is expanding its data centre capacity, with several projects backed by Chinese technology companies.

According to a LinkedIn article from the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, the territory currently runs approximately 581 megawatts of operational data centre capacity, with over 400 MW either under construction or in the planning phase.

In 2024, US regulators took action to prevent HKT from accessing US telecommunications networks, referencing the company's connections to an entity controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.