Sunway iLabs Links With Alibaba AEF to Support AI Innovation Across Malaysia and Hong Kong

How Sunway iLabs and AEF–NextGen aim to accelerate cross-border AI innovation, real-world testing, and talent building.

Sunway iLabs, the innovation lab and corporate venture arm of Sunway Group as entered into a strategic partnership with the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund (AEF)–NextGen Fund to deepen ties between the Greater Bay Area (GBA), Hong Kong, and Malaysia. The collaboration will allow Sunway iLabs to tap directly into new AI technologies emerging from Hong Kong’s deep-tech ecosystem, while giving AEF-backed startups a structured pathway to expand into Southeast Asia through Sunway’s broad business network.

The partnership positions Sunway’s integrated ecosystem—spanning healthcare, education, retail, property and construction—as a “living lab” where AI startups can test and validate real-world applications. Sunway says this approach will help early-stage companies accelerate product development, refine commercial pathways, and expand more confidently into regional markets.

A Fast-Moving Hong Kong Ecosystem Adds Momentum

The timing of the collaboration is significant. Hong Kong’s startup activity is gaining pace, supported by stronger capital-market performance and a growing pipeline of scalable tech companies. According to KPMG, 67 IPOs were completed on HKEX in the first nine months of 2025, a 50% jump from the previous year.

Interest in dual-listing structures has also surged: A+H listing applications rose from five in 2024 to 83 in 2025, reinforcing Hong Kong’s role as a strategic financial gateway for Chinese tech companies and international founders seeking access to mainland China.

This momentum has created a strong supply of AI and deep-tech startups looking for Southeast Asian market entry—a gap Sunway iLabs is now positioning itself to fill.

AEF’s Growing Influence in Asia’s Startup Environment

Established in 2015, AEF has deployed more than US$100 million in over 80 startups, including well-known names such as WeLab and Airwallex. Beyond capital, AEF plays an outsize role in ecosystem building:

• Jumpstarter, its flagship event, attracts over 520,000 attendees and is one of the most influential startup gatherings in Asia.
• HKAI Lab has accelerated more than 100 AI startups, many of which are shaping next-generation AI infrastructure, compute optimisation and enterprise tools.

For Sunway iLabs, aligning with AEF–NextGen brings access to this deep network of founders, researchers and commercial-ready AI technologies emerging from Hong Kong and the GBA.

Why Sunway iLabs Matters in the Southeast Asian Context

Sunway iLabs offers something many early-stage AI companies lack: an integrated, real-world test environment. Its 13 business units provide a uniquely diverse platform for pilot projects across daily-life applications and enterprise settings.

AI teams can run trials inside hospitals, universities, malls, smart-city projects, construction sites, and property developments. This allows them to gather operational data, test product performance at scale, and explore commercial partnerships without the usual barriers to enterprise experimentation.

Sunway iLabs also maintains strong links across Malaysia’s startup and investment landscape, collaborating with partners such as Kejora Capital, Hive SEA, Gobi Partners, and several others. On the global front, its partnerships with institutions including Cambridge Deeptech Labs, CICC, and a16z further reinforce its position as a bridge between international innovation hubs and Southeast Asia’s growing tech ecosystem.

Building Talent and Deep-Tech Capability

Beyond startup activities, the partnership strengthens Sunway’s academic and research ecosystem. Sunway iLabs expects deeper collaboration between Sunway University, Alibaba’s Damo Academy, and leading Hong Kong universities. This includes:

• joint research and applied innovation,
• industry-driven learning programmes,
• talent placement aligned with enterprise needs, and
• expanded pathways for Malaysian students into deep-tech fields.

These developments reinforce Sunway University’s ambition to become a regional talent engine for AI, data science, and emerging technologies.

Opening New Pathways for AI Startups in Both Directions

For startups in Hong Kong and the GBA, the partnership provides a structured entry point into Malaysia and Southeast Asia. They will be able to run proofs of concept, engage enterprise customers, and refine go-to-market strategies within Sunway’s ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Malaysian startups gain access to Hong Kong’s capital market infrastructure, deep-tech accelerators, and potential co-creation opportunities—an avenue that has traditionally been difficult to navigate for Southeast Asian companies.

The collaboration is designed to enable two-way movement of ideas, talent, capital and research, turning Malaysia and Hong Kong into complementary nodes in the region’s AI supply chain.

Conclusion: A Regional AI Network Starts with Bridges, Not Borders

The Sunway iLabs–AEF–NextGen partnership signals a shift in how AI ecosystems across Asia are beginning to connect instead of compete. Rather than building isolated innovation hubs, Malaysia and Hong Kong are creating shared pathways for technology development, commercialization and talent exchange.

For the AsiaTechDaily audience, the story here is bigger than corporate collaboration. It hints at the early formation of a Malaysia–Hong Kong AI corridor—one that blends Hong Kong’s strength in AI R&D and capital markets with Malaysia’s growing role as a testbed and scaling environment for enterprise technology.

If the partnership succeeds, it could become a blueprint for how emerging markets in Asia build cross-border innovation networks capable of supporting the next generation of AI breakthroughs.

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Quick Takeaways

• Sunway iLabs has entered a strategic partnership with the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund (AEF)–NextGen Fund to deepen AI-driven collaboration across Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area (GBA), and Malaysia.
• The partnership gives Sunway access to Hong Kong’s fast-growing AI and deep-tech ecosystem, including solutions emerging from HKAI Lab and AEF’s portfolio.
• Sunway’s ecosystem—spanning 13 business units—will serve as a living lab where AI startups can test and deploy real-world applications across sectors such as healthcare, education, retail, and construction.
• Hong Kong’s innovation momentum is accelerating, with 67 IPOs on HKEX in the first nine months of 2025, a 50% jump year-on-year, and a surge in A+H listing applications.
• AEF, founded in 2015, has invested over US$100 million in 80+ startups, and is a major catalyst of Hong Kong’s AI ecosystem through programs like Jumpstarter and HKAI Lab.
• The partnership positions Sunway iLabs as a regional connector for frontier technologies, leveraging its global network spanning a16z, CICC, Cambridge Deeptech Labs, and now AEF-NextGen.