The ongoing 27th China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF) in south China's tech hub of Shenzhen has become a showcase for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA)'s technological prowess, with innovative enterprises flocking to display their latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and smart manufacturing that highlight the region's growing collaborative strength.
The three-day fair opened on Friday, bringing together over 5,000 exhibitors from around the world to showcase more than 5,000 new products and solutions.
At the Hong Kong pavilion, all eyes are on a fingertip-sized multi-dimensional force sensor developed by Haptron Scientific (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. The compact device, capable of precise 3D force measurement, has already found applications in surgical robots and industrial automation.
"We're giving equipment the same perceptual abilities as humans. For example, this one is suited for very small, very flexible scenarios where previous sensors couldn't achieve such a size. Our industrial version can handle 30 kilograms loads with just a fingertip's touch," said Yu Chen, CEO of Haptron Scientific.
The company credits its success to the "Bay Area genes." Relying on the "joint policy package" of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Co-operation Zone, the product has gained strong support in resources from research and development verification and production iteration to financial support and marketing channels.
This has greatly enhanced supply chain efficiency, and the products have already begun entering markets in Switzerland and Germany.
"Relying on the Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation platform, we use Shenzhen as a fast-paced environment for product development and iteration. In the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, there are enough suppliers allowing us to validate our own ideas in a short time. At the same time, there are excellent researchers in Hong Kong working with us to define new technologies and new products, giving us more possibilities for exploring new technologies. Through the platform of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, we are taking our existing products and technologies overseas to find more international customers," said Yu Chen.
Meanwhile, SiChip, a Zhuhai-based chip design software startup, is making waves of its own in the achievement exhibition area of the 2025 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Entrepreneurship Competition.
Most of the company's core research and development personnel come from universities including the University of Macao and Macao University of Science and Technology. This Hi-Tech Fair has built a good display platform for them.
"At this fair, we have received collaboration invitations from nearly 10 upstream and downstream companies in the industrial chain and obtained three intent orders. On the capital front, we have already received intent from three investment institutions, with the total potential investment amount possibly reaching 50 million yuan (about 7.04 million U.S. dollars). Using the Great Bay Area's collaboration as a foundation also provides us with some cross-regional cooperation mechanisms. We are actively working on industrial chain coordination with universities and laboratories in Macao, advanced packaging plants in Zhuhai, and technology enterprises in Macao. Integrating the mainland's engineering capabilities, Macao's and Hong Kong's financial resources helps us better establish our own influence," said Yan Song, public relations director of Zhuhai Silicon Core Technology Co., Ltd.
At such a showcase of achievements, the driving force for the Greater Bay Area's deeper integration and catalyzed growth is already brewing.
"We have brought ten standout projects from the Greater Bay Area Entrepreneurship Competition to this High-Tech Fair. By introducing more ventures from Hong Kong and Macao into the Great Bay Area ecosystem, we are creating a strong clustering effect that will genuinely boost the leap-forward development of the Greater Bay Area," said Wang Xutong, representative of the operating institution of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Guangdong) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Incubation Base.
Technological prowess in AI, smart manufacturing in Greater Bay Area shines at 26th CHTF
