Shatin, in the New Territories—a location in Hong Kong described as "as far north as you can go"—sits just a river away from Shenzhen.
North of the river stand the Luohu Port immigration building and Luohu Commercial City, with the bustling traffic of Shennan Avenue clearly visible. South of the river lies Hong Kong, an area dominated by the natural landscape of the Lingnan hills and largely undeveloped.
In the 2023 Policy Address, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government announced plans to develop Shatin for innovation and technology purposes. Three years later, construction has begun on what is being called the "largest data park in Hong Kong's history," set to become the territory's biggest data hub.
The site for the Shatin Data Park was awarded through a unique "two-envelope" tender process. This approach evaluated bidders not solely on price but also on their industrial strength and development potential.
The winning consortium consists of Hong Kong Runfeng Intelligent Computing Technology Development Company Limited and Sengoku (Hong Kong) Technology Company Limited, whose ultimate parent company is Shenzhen-listed Range Intelligent Computing Technology Group Company Limited (300442.SZ).
The Hong Kong government stated that Range Intelligent Computing has extensive experience in developing high-end data centers, with facilities and major data hub projects already operating in multiple cities across mainland China.
Public information shows that Range Intelligent Computing is headquartered in Langfang, Hebei, near Beijing's core urban area, occupying a site of 2,010 mu, approximately 1.34 million square meters. The company also has data or intelligent computing centers in Pinghu, Zhejiang in the Yangtze River Delta; Foshan and Huizhou in the Greater Bay Area; Chongqing in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone; Danzhou in the Hainan Free Trade Port; and Lanzhou, Gansu in the northwest. The company specializes in providing computing power infrastructure services for internet firms, cloud providers, and AI enterprises.
Developing a data park is a capital-intensive endeavor. However, compared to mainland projects spanning millions of square meters, building an 110,000-square-meter park in Hong Kong appears manageable.
Zhou Chaonan, Chairman of Range Intelligent Computing, stated that the company has already constructed over 30 such data centers on the mainland, leaving it in a sound financial position. The Hong Kong project will strictly adhere to local laws and regulations and be developed according to local conditions.
Hong Kong's Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Sun Dong, indicated that before finalizing the project, full consideration was given to local factors such as energy supply and sewage treatment to adequately meet the needs of various users.
The Shatin Data Park project covers an area exceeding 110,000 square meters, with a total gross floor area of 250,000 square meters. Nearly ninety percent is planned for high-end data centers. The total investment is estimated at HKD 23.8 billion. The park is expected to be fully operational by 2029, generating approximately HKD 4.6 billion in economic output and creating about 180 technical jobs in its first three years.
Upon completion, the park is projected to provide computing power reaching 180 petaFLOPS (PFLOPS), significantly boosting Hong Kong's overall computational supply.
According to data from the Hong Kong Digital Policy Office in January 2026, Hong Kong's total computing power capacity was 5,000 PFLOPS. Of this, 3,000 PFLOPS came from the landmark "Hong Kong Cyberport AI Supercomputing Centre," with the remaining 2,000 PFLOPS sourced from other computing facilities.
This means that when the Shatin Data Park becomes operational, Hong Kong's total computing power capacity will increase by 36-fold.
The transformation of Shatin, located in the Northern New Territories near Shenzhen's Luohu district, is significant. Designated as a Frontier Closed Area since 1951, it has long been restricted and largely untouched, consisting mostly of undeveloped land.
Some parts were previously used for agriculture, featuring small plots of farmland and fish ponds. Historically, many Luohu residents held cross-border farming permits to cultivate land in Shatin.
However, the majority of the area was traditionally used as cemeteries. For many Hong Kongers, Shatin was synonymous with the "Shatin Cemetery," known for its numerous unmarked graves.
In 2010, the Hong Kong government initially planned to develop Shatin into a "super funeral complex," proposing facilities for 200,000 columbarium niches, a crematorium with 10 furnaces, and a funeral parlor with 30 halls.
This plan was officially abandoned in October 2023 by Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee, in his Policy Address. Two hectares of land originally earmarked for the funeral project were reallocated for innovation and technology-related uses.
The fundamental reason for this major shift in land use is singular: the rise of Shenzhen's technology sector and Hong Kong's own technological ambitions.
With the vigorous development of Shenzhen's tech industry, a large-scale cluster effect has already taken shape. Hong Kong aims to create synergies with Shenzhen's innovation parks.
Due to its proximity to Shenzhen, the Hong Kong government has planned the "Northern Metropolis" in the Northern New Territories, with Shatin occupying a key position within this development.
Secretary Sun Dong described the project as benefiting from "right timing, geographical advantages, and human harmony." He noted that the Shatin park is situated at a hub within the port economic belt connecting Hong Kong and Shenzhen, allowing it to complement the computing power clusters of the Greater Bay Area and serve as a core engine for Hong Kong's AI industry development.
Regarding the broader Northern Metropolis development, the Hong Kong government plans to invest nearly HKD 300 billion to establish the area as the "focus of Hong Kong's urban construction and economic development for the next 20 years."
Out of this HKD 300 billion, the government has allocated HKD 150 billion from the Exchange Fund to support major infrastructure projects. This marks the first time since 1984 that Hong Kong has utilized the Exchange Fund for infrastructure development.
In February of this year, Hong Kong announced its first "Five-Year Plan," aiming to deeply align with national strategies and integrate into the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The peak expenditure period for the Northern Metropolis projects will be the next five years, with annual capital works spending expected to increase from HKD 90 billion to HKD 120 billion.
The government's first "Five-Year Plan" emphasizes promoting the innovation and technology industry, which includes building the Shatin Data Park as a computing power hub in the Northern Metropolis. In terms of regional synergy, the plan seeks to deepen Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation to create an innovation and technology corridor, and to align with the national "East Data, West Computing" project to establish a cross-border data flow system.
The push for the Shatin Data Park underscores Hong Kong's urgent need for computing power in the AI era.
Hong Kong is vigorously advancing its goal of becoming an international innovation and technology hub, with artificial intelligence as a core focus. However, the territory currently lacks large-scale, high-end data parks and advanced computing facilities, hindering the rapid development of its AI industry.
Currently, Hong Kong is fully implementing the "Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint" and actively responding to the national "AI Plus" initiative.
The company stated that the establishment of the Range (Hong Kong) Shatin Data Park is a significant practice in advancing Hong Kong's innovation and technology infrastructure and cultivating new quality productive forces. It will inject new vitality into nurturing digital talent and activating the innovation ecosystem, thereby helping to strengthen Hong Kong's dual-engine development model of being both an international financial center and an international innovation and technology hub.
Chairman Zhou Chaonan also remarked that Hong Kong is a reservoir for excellent institutions and talent, calling it a "very favorable location." This led to the choice of Hong Kong and Shatin, with the expectation that through their efforts, Shatin can be transformed into a highland for innovation and technology.
In the coming three years, it is likely that not only Shatin but the entire Northern New Territories will take on a崭新的 new appearance.
The view south from the Luohu Port may no longer feature barren hills but instead be filled with skyscrapers.
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