Overseas talents explore Hetao

　　On March 29, a group international tech buffs gathered at the Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, a dreamland for entrepreneurs where is filled with innovation, exploring the cutting-edge high-tech products.

　　The "Experiencee Hetao’s Tech Heartbeat – Expat Talents Hetao Tour” event was held at the Hetao Shenzhen Park yesterday. Nearly 20 international tech elites from China‘s Hong Kong and Macao as well as from Italy, the Netherlands, India and others arrived at the park. Among the attendees were seasoned professors, researchers, tech entrepreneurs, and high-tech enthusiasts. They learned about Hetao, experienced its services, and interacted with high-tech innovations.

　　“The event was fantastic. The scientific innovation environment shows the value of the city. That‘s the identity of the city,” said Sankhadip Chakraborty, an Indian postdoctoral researcher from Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech).

　　Interacting with high-tech products

　　The international talents arrived at the first stop — the metaverse service hall of a smart park in Hetao, where they experienced a future world through technological effects realized by digital twins and other technologies.

　　As they stepped out of the building, the sight of self-driving cars on the road captured the attention of these tech enthusiasts. The cars, harnessed with autonomous driving solutions, were provided by DeepRoute.ai. The company, established only five years ago, has achieved autonomous vehicles that rely solely on standard-definition maps."The forefront of employing the end-to-end model in mass production vehicles has been bravely spearheaded by DeepRoute.ai, with intentions to go into the market later this year," a staffer of the company introduced.

　　Boarding on the self-driving cars which are capable of L4 autonomous driving, the overseas talents toured around more than 10 specialized parks designated for high-end scientific research and research transformation.

　　“The part I was most looking forward to was riding the driverless car. I had heard about this technology before but had never had the opportunity to experience it myself,” said Anne Imig, who began her postdoctoral research program at SUSTech six months ago. “Usually, you rely on the driver, but in this car, although there was someone seated there, they were not using the steering wheel, providing me with a completely new experience,” Imig added.

　　Meanwhile, various high-tech products were on display specifically for this event at the Hetao Shenzhen Park. Attendees eagerly inspected these products and inquired about them in detail. These included two AI robots capable of playing Chinese go and chess with a person at home, a machine that could analyze skin using a large AI model for skin images, and a doll claw machine allowing users to control its claw grip without touching a screen through air imaging technology. These products were developed by the companies that have established themselves in the Hetao Shenzhen Park.

　　It's worth mentioning that the clip doll machine developed by Iwin, a Shenzhen-based company specializing in creative designs. The machine was stocked with dolls from Hetao-based companies like Xtalpi, which focuses on AI technology in biomedicine, Kniulink, specializing in integrated circuits, SenseTime, an AI software company, and EyeShenzhen.

　　Touring international community

　　After the park tour, the participants visited the Hetao “e-station” Comprehensive Service Center to experience the convenient services provided for overseas talents. The “e-station” center offers more than 1,300 governmental services, including over 500 businesses related to Hong Kong and Macao talents, and more than 260 services for foreign talents.

　　“It was very informative for me. Although I am engaging in high-tech research, I didn‘t know there are so many different companies and institutes here. I think maybe there should be more communication with the universities and institutions in this area because we are cultivating a large number of students who will become engineers or high-tech experts,” Ercan Engin Kuruoglu, a distinguished expert in information engineering who serves full-time professor at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School.

　　Sharing insightful thoughts

　　A small sharing session was organized for the participants at the e-station. Professor Kuruoglu discussed the challenges in AI research, Hong Kong entrepreneur Robin Diao shared his experience of starting his company in Hetao Shenzhen Park, and Dutch entrepreneur Henk Werner provided insights into his tech innovations in Shenzhen.

　　“Listening to the insights shared by the Hong Kong entrepreneur, I felt a strong desire to know him. Given my current involvement with a company specializing in chip and semiconductor technologies, I am eager to know about his experiences in the sci-tech field and understand how he initiated his business in Hetao,” expressed Indian talent Sharma Priyasha.

　　Professor Kuruoglu shared his insights to the AI industry, saying that Shenzhen is leading the way in AI application, and AI has lots of success but people working on it should work more to understand the internal mechanisms. And he thoughts that the advanced AI technologies should be applied in the fields to help people live a better life, for example for avoiding the bacteria.

　　The professor also acknowledged the potential he saw in Hetao, and hoped to communicate with more researchers and entrepreneurs to collaborate on future research endeavors.

　　The event was guided by the Shenzhen Municipal Science, Technology and Innovation Bureau, hosted by the Hetao Development Authority and organized by EyeShenzhen.