Chinese AI companies are optimising software to cope with surging demand for inference, as part of that workload still relies on computing power from a limited pool of high-end chips amid restricted access to Nvidia processors.

Compared with training an artificial intelligence model, which relies on high-end chips, inference – a later phase in which the trained model applies its knowledge to process responses – can be adapted to domestic hardware. However, industry insiders said complex tasks like coding still required Nvidia chips, which meant the sector was facing

A rare Hong Kong government incentive for developers will help revive old neighbourhoods such as Sham Shui Po, where redevelopment projects have stalled amid a sluggish property market, analysts have said.

They said on Thursday that the bonus plot ratio pilot scheme, due to launch next month, would provide private developers with a financial incentive to redevelop the city’s older neighbourhoods, many of which are plagued by acute urban decay.

Under the scheme, the government will grant developers an extra 20 per cent of gross floor area or an