Hong Kong, 24th July, 2024 — Digital Domain Holding Limited (“Digital Domain”, stock code: 547), a global leader in Hollywood visual effects, is announcing the establishment of a state-of-the-art Research & Development (R&D) Center in Hong Kong Science Park at the “Digital Domain lands in Hong Kong Science Park” launching ceremony. Leveraging virtual human technology to transform entertainment industry, Digital Domain will join forces with Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) to lead innovation and set new industry standards.
The R&D Center will serve as a hub for collaboration, attracting top talent from around the globe and fostering partnerships with leading academic institutions, industry experts, and technology innovators, shaping the future of digital entertainment, life and culture, as well as innovation and technology industries, and advancing the creative frontier through uniting diverse expertise and cutting-edge technology in different aspects, including:
- Virtual Human (VH): Developing an advanced AI-driven virtual human that can engage in natural and complex interactions to enhance the user experience in service-oriented environments. This interaction will introduce a brand-new concept that highlights the potential of AI-powered virtual human hospitality services for travelers to interact with in the near future.
- Visual Effects (VFX): Utilizing AI technology to create more dynamic, cost-effective, and high-quality visual effects for the production of films, TV series, and commercial advertisements.
- AI-Powered Video Production (AVP): Developing innovative tools that leverage AI to produce 3D asset-based video content, in order to streamline the content creation workflow in media production.
At the launch ceremony, honored guests, including
Professor Dong SUN, JP, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry; Dr GE Ming, the Commissioner for Industry (Innovation and Technology); Mr. Albert WONG, the CEO of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation; and
Mr. Daniel SEAH, the CEO of Digital Domain, attended the event. To showcase the innovation of AI technology during the launch ceremony, Digital Domain invited a special guest, Virtual Human Teresa Teng to the event for a real-time interactive dialogue with Prof. Dong SUN, JP.
Professor Dong SUN, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry shared at the ceremony, “As we know, AI has revolutionised the film and entertainment industry, transforming film-making, visual effects, and animation. Digital Domain is a testament to this, with its groundbreaking use of AI technology as a tool for better storytelling and immersion. By harnessing the power of AI, we can create truly exceptional products that push the boundaries of imagination. This is the future we envision for the film and entertainment industry, where humans and AI work hand-in-hand to create unforgettable experiences. The Hong Kong Government has been well-prepared for both the opportunities and challenges brought by AI revolution. We are dedicated to supporting the AI industry, along with other I&T industries of strategic importance, to develop in Hong Kong.”
Digital Domain Establishes an International R&D Center to Strengthen Hong Kong’s Status as the “Oriental Hollywood”
With over 30 years of development experience, Digital Domain has been involved in the production of hundreds of films and TV series, thousands of commercials, game visuals, as well as experimental and immersive experiences. By combining with deep learning and virtual reality technologies, Digital Domain has iterated the construction process of AI virtual humans to create digital characters with emotional expressiveness and interactive capabilities. By driving the prosperous development of “Made in Hong Kong” films, Digital Domain aims to further strengthen Hong Kong’s status as the “Oriental Hollywood”. In addition, Digital Domain also plans to extend the breakthrough of AI Virtual Human technology beyond the big screen. Leveraging AI virtual humans to transcend the limitations of language, geography, and time, it will promote and apply this technology across four key areas: the banking industry, the education sector, the elderly care industry, and the tourism industry.
Aligning with the objectives outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan, which aims to establish Hong Kong as an “Eight Centres” city (including as an international innovation and technology centre as well as being an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange), Hong Kong plays a vital role helping enterprises in “Bring-in” and “Go-global”. It presents favorable conditions for Digital Domain rooting in Hong Kong as a base to gather talents from the Greater Bay Area and globally.
Mr. Daniel SEAH, CEO of Digital Domain, stated, “Hong Kong is a vibrant city with a diverse culture. As an international financial center and a global trade hub, Hong Kong attracts a wide range of cultures and influences from around the world. This unique blend of East and West fosters a thriving creative ecosystem, driving development of industries including entertainment, culture, and technology-driven lifestyle innovation. The goal is to further strengthen Hong Kong’s position as the ‘Oriental Hollywood’ and explore even more innovative frontiers.”
Expanding R&D Scale by Recruiting Local and Overseas Talents to Accelerate the Development of Hong Kong’s Entertainment and Creative Technology Industries
As the largest innovation and technology (I&T) ecosystem in Hong Kong, HKSTP is home to more than 14,000 research professionals and 1,800 tech ventures from around the world, with a strong network of over a thousand investors. HKSTP strives to recruit and nurture I&T talents through a series of initiatives, such as the "Technology Leaders of Tomorrow” programme and the “I&T Career Expo”, to support tech ventures in offering world-class research infrastructure, professional guidance and developing investment networks to promote collaboration. HKSTP will continue to act as a super-connector in the industry, helping Digital Domain to expand its R&D teams and strengthen the local talent pool while driving the innovative development among entertainment and cross-industry.
With the support of HKSTP, Digital Domain plans to invest approximately HK$204 million by the end of 2029 to recruit and develop over 40 professional talents, in order to expand its team. Through continuous talent recruitment, Digital Domain aims to further develop technologies of AI virtual humans, visual effects, and AI-powered video production as well as file a total of 5 patent applications in Hong Kong to promote technological innovation and intellectual property protection. This will contribute to the commercialization of AI virtual human, visual effects, and AI-powered video production in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Digital Domain also helps push forward Hong Kong to become an international hub for AI and AI virtual human technology R&D. Looking ahead, Digital Domain hopes to leverage the R&D of innovative technologies in Hong Kong to apply these technologies to the local entertainment industry. This will create more internationally-renowned entertainment experiences for Hong Kong citizens, and attract more overseas visitors to the city, thereby supporting the development of Hong Kong's tourism industry.
