AI Chip Center for Emerging Smart Systems (ACCESS) proudly participated in HKUST Unicorn Day, themed “Impact Beyond Borders,” held at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on 13 June 2025 (Friday), at the Shaw Auditorium.
During the event, ACCESS showcased several groundbreaking research achievements to the attending guests and participants from various sectors, highlighting the Center's latest contributions in advancing AI application innovation:
- 28nm Commercial-grade Test Chip - AC-Transformer: ACCESS designed and tapped-out the 28nm commercial-grade test chip, AC-Transformer, enabling end-to-end inference for programmable CNN and Transformer models.
- Ultra-high Energy Efficiency AI Accelerator for Portable Healthcare Devices: Early screening for retinal diseases is essential for diabetic and hypertensive patients. To overcome travel obstacles for rural residents, ACCESS developed a portable AI retinal screening device. Equipped with the 28nm commercial-grade test chip AC-Transformer, this device offers rapid, private diagnoses without network reliance, enhancing convenience and efficiency while reducing integration costs by 70%.
- DCIM-Based Genome Analysis Breakthrough: AutoDCIM—the first automated DCIM design tool—powers a portable genome analyzer with superior throughput and efficiency vs. commercial AI chips. This is a Gold Medal winning achievement with Congratulations of the Jury at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.
- High-Speed Financial Computing Accelerator: AC-CVXPY combines FPGA/ASIC flexibility with finance-optimized hardware, delivering software-like adaptability at hardware speed.
ACCESS also introduced its newly established spin-off company, HarbourTek. HarbourTek is dedicated to commercializing ACCESS's groundbreaking research & development achievements in AI chips, with a focus on advancing Embodied AI—an emerging field that integrates artificial intelligence with robotics to develop intelligent systems capable of dynamic interaction with their environments.
During the afternoon startup pitch session, representatives from the HarbourTek project team presented their business plan, technological advantages, and product prospects in detail to over a hundred attendees from the investment and industry sectors.
There are nearly 1,300 global investors, industry leaders and government and academia representatives from over a dozen countries converged at HKUST Unicorn Day, which is now one of the largest entrepreneurial events in Hong Kong’s higher education sector. As of May 2025, HKUST members had founded over 1,800 active startups, including 10 unicorns and 17 exits (IPO or M&A). More details of HKUST Unicorn Day: https://hkust.edu.hk/news/hkust-unicorn-day-unites-global-innovators-turn-bold-ideas-impact
ACCESS remains committed to advancing AI and semiconductor technologies, empowering the next generation of innovators to scale their solutions worldwide.
