Yang Yuanqing, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo Group and a 1981 computer science alumnus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, returned to his alma mater on the afternoon of April 6. Speaking at the Wenbo Building Conference Center on the university's Minhang campus, he reflected that the current Teaching Building No. 3 was where he first touched a computer in his life. At that time, the entire university had only one computer, donated by alumnus Dr. An Wang. That single machine planted a seed in his heart: how wonderful it would be if everyone could have their own computer. Inspired by Dr. Wang’s example, Yang expressed his desire to give back to the university that nurtured him.
Marking the 130th anniversary of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Yang Yuanqing personally donated 200 million yuan to support scientific innovation and talent development in the university's artificial intelligence disciplines. Concurrently, he announced a new round of strategic cooperation between Lenovo Group and the university, pledging an additional 300 million yuan over the next five years. This collaboration will focus on three key areas: joint scientific research, talent development, and investment incubation, aiming to upgrade the university-industry partnership.
Prior to the ceremony, Yang revisited the Xuhui campus with former teachers and classmates, retracing his youth spent pursuing technological dreams in Teaching Building No. 3. His donation will support the renovation of this building, transforming it into a first-class teaching and research base for AI studies, thereby empowering future generations of students.
This is not the first donation from Yang or Lenovo to Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The latest initiative is regarded as an upgrade to the strategic cooperation agreement, evolving from the 2021 model of “100 million yuan in personal donation plus 200 million yuan in university-enterprise cooperation” to a new structure of “200 million yuan in personal donation plus 300 million yuan in university-enterprise collaboration.”
In 2015, Yang, together with fellow computer science alumni from the class of 1981, established the "Computer Class '85 Fund" — also known as the Yang Yuanqing Education Fund — which was the first crowdfunded educational fund in a Chinese university. Over the past decade, the fund has distributed more than 6.3 million yuan in scholarships and teaching awards, benefiting 136 outstanding students and 11 young faculty members, thereby continuously fueling talent development in computer science.
In 2021, on the occasion of the university’s 125th anniversary, Yang donated 100 million yuan personally to establish "Siyuan No. 1," which at the time was the most powerful scientific computing center in any Chinese university. To date, this research "supreme brain" has supported over 1,200 research projects, contributed to the publication of more than 1,100 high-level academic papers — including 59 in CNS journals and their sub-journals — and has become a leading, internationally recognized platform for scientific computing.
Yang has also been instrumental in promoting university-enterprise collaboration. Since the strategic partnership between Lenovo Group and Shanghai Jiao Tong University was formalized in 2021, the two parties have established three university-level joint laboratories focusing on intelligent devices, artificial intelligence, and the "Siyuan 2030" initiative. Their cooperation spans personal intelligence, enterprise intelligence, and materials and device innovation, earning prestigious honors such as the Shanghai Municipal First Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress. Lenovo has also provided sustained support in talent cultivation, innovation competitions, and curriculum development. Furthermore, Lenovo Capital has invested in several startup projects founded by Shanghai Jiao Tong University alumni, including Moore Threads, TuringQ, and Black Sesame Technologies, forming a comprehensive ecosystem of support.
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