Bulletin No. 1, 2010

Two Projects Made Areas of Excellence  29 Institute of Network Coding T he paradigm for data transport through a computer network, which is often referred to as the information superhighway has long been store-and-forward. This is analogous to the routing of mail or commodities. An intermediate node in routing does not alter the data being forwarded. The internet is a gigantic network connected by countless routers which forward messages to their intended destinations. In the 1990s, CUHK professors published the Network Coding Theory. This theory replaces routers with coders, which code different messages during transmission and decode them upon reaching their destination. In this way, the capacity and efficiency of communication over the network are greatly enhanced. Network coding is considered one of the most significant breakthroughs in information science. The main objective of this AoE project is to make Hong Kong a major centre of network coding by building a world-leading Institute of Network Coding. This institute will conduct forefront research on the theory of network coding and its various applications for the Internet, wireless communications, information security, data storage, and bioinformatics. Network coding has brought about a paradigm shift in data transport by developing a method to achieve maximum information flow in a network and made network communications more efficient, reliable, robust and secure. Professor Yeung cited the traditional peer- to-peer (P2P) data sharing network as an example of how network coding technology has revolutionized communications. Under normal circumstances, it takes five to six minutes for a traditional network to stabilize the transmission of a video stream. However, this process can be shortened to 20 to 30 seconds by using network coding technology. To nurture top talent, the institute will recruit 10 to 15 research professors and post-doctoral researchers. ‘We hope to enhance the standards of information engineering research and education in Hong Kong within a few years,’ said Professor Yeung. ‘In the long run, our goal is to attract overseas investors to set up research institutes and to develop related industries in Hong Kong.’