On April 6, Lenovo Group Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing, who also serves as a trustee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, personally donated 200 million yuan to his alma mater. The funds will be used for the renovation and modernization of Teaching Building No. 3 on the Xuhui campus. The upgraded facility will focus on scientific research innovation and talent development in the field of artificial intelligence. On the same day, Lenovo Group and Shanghai Jiao Tong University signed a strategic cooperation 2.0 agreement. Under this agreement, the company will invest 300 million yuan over the next five years to advance university-enterprise collaboration to a new stage.
This donation marks Yang Yuanqing’s third personal financial contribution to the university’s development, following the establishment of an education fund in 2015 and the donation of the "Siyuan No. 1" high-performance computing center in 2021. Teaching Building No. 3, a significant structure in the university’s old campus that holds memories for generations of students, will be revitalized to preserve the campus’s cultural heritage while supporting national AI strategic goals.
According to the new phase of strategic cooperation, Lenovo and Shanghai Jiao Tong University will deepen collaboration in scientific research, talent cultivation, and entrepreneurial incubation. The two parties will conduct joint research on key technologies such as intelligent devices, large-scale AI models, and intelligent infrastructure. They will also support student development through scholarships, innovation competitions, and co-developed courses. Additionally, priority will be given to investing in campus startup projects in areas including AI applications, computing hardware and software, smart healthcare, and advanced manufacturing.
Since establishing their strategic partnership in 2021, Lenovo has invested over 200 million yuan, co-founded three university-level joint laboratories, initiated 23 research projects, and jointly received awards such as the Shanghai Science and Technology Progress First Prize and the China Computer Federation Technology Invention First Prize. Lenovo Capital has also invested in several hard-tech companies originating from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, including Black Sesame Technologies, MetaX, and Turing Quantum.
Following the signing ceremony, Shanghai Jiao Tong University hosted a roundtable dialogue with leading AI entrepreneurs to discuss trends in artificial intelligence and pathways for industry-academia integration.
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