Prof. Yuan Xie Secures Major RGC Strategic Topics Grant, Contributing to HKUST’s Record-Breaking Funding Success
Image credit: HKUST
We are thrilled to announce that Prof. Xie Yuan, Chair Professor of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, has been awarded a prestigious Strategic Topics Grant (STG) from the Research Grants Council (RGC) for the 2025/26 cycle. This significant achievement is a cornerstone of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s (HKUST) record-breaking success in the latest RGC funding round.
Prof. Xie’s project, titled “Technology-Driven RISC-V AI Architecture Innovations for Emerging Embodied Robotics Systems,” has been awarded HK$20.0 million. This ambitious research aims to overcome current architectural limitations in AI for robotics by leveraging the adaptability of the RISC-V instruction set architecture. The project will pioneer innovations in in-memory and near-memory computing to dramatically enhance AI performance, while also exploring advanced chip packaging and novel memory technologies. The anticipated outputs include architectural simulators, design methodologies, open-source IP cores, and functional chip prototypes, positioning HKUST at the forefront of next-generation robotic systems.
This grant is one of only five awarded under the STG scheme, and HKUST secured two of them—claiming both the highest project count and the largest funding share among all Hong Kong universities. Prof. Xie’s project, alongside another STG award, contributed a combined total of HK$51.0 million to HKUST’s overall haul.
Prof. Xie’s success was instrumental in helping HKUST set a new institutional record by securing over HK$279 million across all six of its projects in the RGC’s three flagship funding schemes (AoE, TRS, and STG). This represents the highest number of funded projects among all universities, solidifying HKUST’s leadership in competitive, large-scale, and transformative research.
Image credit: HKUST
This remarkable achievement underscores our group’s commitment to cutting-edge research and its vital role in driving HKUST’s mission to deliver impactful scientific advancements for Hong Kong, the nation, and the world. We congratulate Prof. Xie and the entire team on this outstanding accomplishment and look forward to the transformative results this project will yield.
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