HKU power-chip breakthrough cuts AI energy waste
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A research team at the University of Hong Kong has developed a “3D integrated power-supply technology” for advanced AI computing chip modules that raises power efficiency from 75% to 95% while shrinking the power system by more than five times. The project is led by Professor Wang Han of HKU’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, who says the technology could help ease the growing electricity burden from AI computing and support Hong Kong’s microelectronics ambitions
Key Points
- Wang said global data centres now consume about 2% of total electricity use, and demand is rising as generative AI drives higher computing needs worldwide
- He said Hong Kong could see data centres consume about 8% of electricity in four years, with the Sha Ling data centre expected to add major demand
- Traditional chip power layouts use horizontal delivery across 20 to 30 centimetres, wasting up to 25% of electricity before it reaches AI chips and generating heat
- HKU’s 3D design places the computing chip beneath the power system in a vertical structure, cutting transmission loss by more than tenfold
- The project received about HK$49.88 million under the Research Grants Council’s 2026/27 Theme-based Research Scheme, and the team plans further optimisation
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong, the immediate relevance is whether future AI infrastructure can expand without a matching surge in wasted electricity and heat. Wang said the work also fits the Northern Metropolis strategy and ongoing collaboration with technology firms and the Microelectronics Research and Development Institute on gallium nitride research