On March 12, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC) officially announced that the project “Simulation and Prediction of Environment and Engineering for Deep-sea (SPEED),” led by the Southern University of Science and Technology’s Advanced Institute for Ocean Research (AIOR)/Shenzhen Ocean University Preparatory Office, has been officially approved as an official action of the United Nations “Decade of Ocean Science” (2021-2030) and has become one of the core projects of the “Digital Twin Ocean” (DITTO) program.

The SPEED project is the first UN “Decade of Ocean Science” project in the deep-sea field in Shenzhen empowered by AI. The project is led by Professor Zhiyuan ZHOU from AIOR at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), in collaboration with scientific research institutions from China, the UK, Germany, Singapore, and other countries. It uses artificial intelligence technology to perform high-precision three-dimensional visualization of multi-source heterogeneous deep-sea data, building a high spatiotemporal resolution deep-sea digital twin system open to global maritime enterprises and universities. This provides scientific support for deep-sea resource exploitation and ecological protection, the formulation of relevant international regulations, and the enhancement of climate resilience, contributing to the high-quality development of the deep-sea industry.

Figure 1. Nested Global Seafloor High-Resolution 3D Terrain Data

Figure 2. Core Concepts and Framework of the Newly Approved SPEED Project under the UN “Decade of Ocean Science”

The UN “Decade of Ocean Science” is one of the most important global ocean science initiatives launched by the United Nations in recent years. It aims to identify the scientific knowledge required for the ocean and sustainable societal development, address global climate change, form a comprehensive understanding and awareness of the ocean, provide science-based support and technology-driven solutions for global ocean governance, and ultimately create “an ocean that is clean, healthy and resilient, productive, predictable, safe, accessible, inspiring, and engaging,” achieving sustainable development of the ocean.

China is one of the countries deeply involved in the “Decade of Ocean Science” and has currently established the “Decade of Ocean Science” China Committee. As of December 2025, China has approved the “Decade of Ocean Science” International Cooperation Center ODCC, China Ocean Development Foundation (CODF), a China 21st Century Agenda Management Center, a National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS), one “Decade of Ocean Science” Collaboration Center (DCC-OCC), two “Decade of Ocean Science” contributions, six “Decade of Ocean Science” Implementation Partners (DIPs) (including SUSTech’s Shenzhen Ocean University Preparatory Office DIP), 10 “Decade of Ocean Science”  Programs, 25 “Decade of Ocean Science” Projects. The approval of this project marks the international recognition of the research capabilities of SUSTech’s AIOR/Shenzhen Ocean University Preparatory Office in the fields of deep-sea science, engineering, and digital oceanography, providing important scientific and technological support for China’s deep participation in global ocean governance and promoting the protection and sustainable development of deep-sea resources.