A significant donation ceremony took place on the afternoon of April 6 at the Wenbo Building Conference Center on Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Minhang campus. Yang Yuanqing, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo Group and a 1981 computer science alumnus, returned to his alma mater to personally commit 200 million yuan in support of artificial intelligence research and talent development at the university. Additionally, Lenovo Group has entered into a new strategic partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, pledging 300 million yuan over the next five years to enhance collaboration in research, talent cultivation, and investment incubation.
The event was attended by senior executives from Lenovo Group including Qiao Jian and Gao Lan, as well as university leadership such as Party Secretary Yang Zhenbin and President Ding Kuiling. The ceremony highlighted the deepening ties between the alumnus, his company, and the educational institution.
Prior to the ceremony, Yang revisited the university's Xuhui campus, reminiscing about his early exposure to computing technology. He recalled using the Wang computer donated by fellow alumnus An Wang, which first ignited his passion for technology. The donation will also support the renovation of teaching facilities to create advanced AI research spaces for future students.
Yang's longstanding support for the university includes co-founding the "Computer 85 Fund" in 2015, which has awarded over 6.3 million yuan in scholarships. In 2021, he donated 100 million yuan to establish the "Siyuan No.1" computing center, which has since supported more than 1,200 research projects resulting in numerous high-impact publications.
The new "2+3" collaboration model represents an upgrade from the previous "1+2" framework, signaling a more profound integration between alumni support and corporate-academic partnership. Yang expressed his commitment to fostering top-tier AI talent through this initiative, while university leadership acknowledged the contribution as instrumental to advancing China's technological capabilities.
The partnership exemplifies the university's tradition of "drinking water while thinking of its source," demonstrating how generations of alumni maintain connections with their alma mater while contributing to national development through technological innovation.
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