ASTRI and NAMI Merger Drives Hybrid AI‑Materials Innovations Showcased at LEAP East

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) is delivering concrete outcomes from its April 2026 merger with the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI). The integration has yielded novel AI‑enhanced materials technologies now on display at LEAP East.

Dr Ying Huang, ASTRI’s Chief Technology Officer, said the combined entity has helped researchers pinpoint where ICT capabilities and materials expertise can reinforce each other more effectively.

Complementary capabilities drive innovation

“The merger has substantially strengthened ASTRI’s cross‑disciplinary research capabilities, with powerful synergies emerging between technology and materials expertise,” he said.

“We have a very strong AI+ community in the industry. For materials research – particularly in discovering molecular or structural properties – leveraging advanced AI can significantly accelerate the work.”

He explained that teams have identified specific collaboration areas that improve the efficiency of discovery work previously performed using conventional machine‑learning methods.

Sensing technologies for robotics illustrate the advantage. Materials researchers have created piezoresistive materials to detect pressure, while the ICT team has developed AI‑supported optical sensing to capture finer surface details. Combining these approaches yields stronger performance for systems needing both pressure detection and detailed texture analysis.

“We have developed something akin to artificial skin. The materials side already possesses technology that can sense pressure electronically, while on the ICT side we use optics and AI analysis for more refined sensing. Combining the two produces a stronger solution,” said Dr Huang.

Industry partnership model ensures commercial relevance

ASTRI continues to require industry partners to contribute a portion of project funding, a practice that ensures research addresses genuine commercial needs. “To ensure research has commercial value, we must find industry sponsors in the field who will contribute real money to the project,” he said. Once a technology reaches a workable stage, the team seeks additional partners to scale its application.

An AI‑enhanced firewall, initially developed in an IoT device trial with a government department, was later adapted and scaled for commercial use. The cybersecurity solution was packaged into a router format and is now offered by a telecom company to its SME clients.

Tapping Middle East market through LEAP East

Technologies showcased at ASTRI’s booth at LEAP East included a two‑phase immersion cooling system already in trial operation at a government department facility. The system has delivered energy savings of more than 20 % and achieved a power‑usage‑effectiveness rating of less than 1.1, earning recognition at an international invention exhibition last year.

Other exhibits featured long‑life batteries designed for harsh conditions, including versions capable of operating at temperatures up to 85 °C for up to ten years without replacement, and batteries that meet European standards for emergency communication after vehicle incidents.

A photovoltaic‑storage hybrid inverter and a drone system for high‑rise building maintenance, developed in collaboration with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, were also presented.

Dr Huang said discussions at the event with partners from Saudi Arabia and other Middle‑Eastern markets provided useful feedback on how certain technologies, including privacy‑preserving detection systems, could be applied in commercial settings such as retail analytics.

Physical AI: the next frontier

Ir Dr Ted Suen, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, observed that the rise of cross‑regional innovation hubs in Asia and the Middle East creates a global opportunity. ASTRI’s participation at LEAP East underscores Hong Kong’s role as a connector in building technological bonds with the Middle East.

During the panel “Autonomous Everything: The Dawn of Physical AI,” which explored real‑world integration of physical AI from robotaxis to autonomous urban systems, Dr Suen spoke of the shift from digital AI to physical AI. He noted that labor shortages and aging populations are increasing demand for automation in the physical world, with advances in sim‑to‑real transfer, 3D spatial understanding, and agentic AI driving this development.

The breadth of applications, from medical robotics that support remote surgery to autonomous systems in factories, he said, highlights the potential. While challenges remain in hardware, real‑time accuracy, and infrastructure integration, continued progress suggests physical AI is moving closer to wider deployment. He urged organisations to prepare now by creating testing environments and embedding AI across operations. “Think big and start small,” he concluded.

Enhanced research capacity and strategic alignment

ASTRI now employs roughly 600 research staff, over 80 % of whom hold PhD or Master’s degrees, combining expertise across ICT, AI, advanced electronics, materials science, and more.

The merged institute continues to collaborate with partners across the Greater Bay Area and Southeast Asia, in addition to its LEAP East engagement. Its focus remains on identifying real‑world applications and supporting the scaling of solutions that have moved beyond initial development stages.

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