Yau Mathematics and AI Lab Alliance Launched at Tsinghua University

Alliance Launched at Tsinghua

The Yau Laboratory Alliance for Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence was officially launched at Tsinghua University on Sunday, marking a new effort to combine advanced mathematics research with artificial intelligence in China. Led by Fields Medalist Shing-Tung Yau, the alliance integrates eight top Chinese mathematical research institutions and assembles a 1,000-strong research team.

Founding members span Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, including Tsinghua University's Qiuzhen College, the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center and the Shanghai Institute for Mathematics and Interdisciplinary Sciences. The alliance aims to deepen the integration of mathematics and AI and bolster China's high-level sci-tech self-reliance.

Yau Calls for Joint Efforts as AI Grows Exponentially

In his speech, Yau described the current era as uniquely promising yet highly risky for academic research. He said that if artificial intelligence is properly harnessed, the scholarship, breakthroughs and impacts it delivers will be epoch-making, while poor management could bring catastrophic consequences, particularly harming the development of China's science and technology sector.

Yau noted that AI has produced numerous pivotal scholarly results over the past half year, delivering outputs beyond conventional imagination. He stressed that the field grows exponentially rather than linearly, requiring joint efforts from knowledgeable scholars and innovative young students. The alliance will pool 1,000 professional mathematicians across member institutions to develop China's homegrown AI models dedicated to mathematical research.

Six Priorities and a Multi-City Lab Network

The alliance has outlined six core priorities: developing specialized AI models for mathematical research, building open public infrastructure for AI-assisted mathematical studies, advancing AI interpretability and security through fundamental mathematical innovation, extending integrated research to interdisciplinary fields such as quantum computing and life sciences, cultivating high-end talent via international training programs, and launching a flagship academic journal for AI-assisted mathematics.

The first Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is hosted at Qiuzhen College and jointly run with the Yau Mathematical Sciences Center at Tsinghua University. Partner institutions will sequentially establish mathematics-AI laboratories across Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Tsinghua vice president Li Zhihua said the alliance consolidates national high-end research resources and will build a smoother linkage connecting fundamental research, technological advancement and industrial application.

Headquartered in Beijing's Haidian District

Headquartered in Beijing's Haidian District, the alliance benefits from the area's robust tech ecosystem. Haidian hosts over 2,000 AI enterprises and more than 90,000 AI professionals. Local authorities have pledged full support, committing to optimize industry-university-research collaboration and foster a high-quality innovation ecosystem to fuel the alliance's development. Leading academicians pointed out that AI is fundamentally grounded in mathematical theories, and that uniting researchers from diverse institutions and disciplines will reshape the academic paradigm for integrated mathematics and AI research.

Sources: Shanghai Daily · Scmp · Ua.News