Chinese High-Tech Zones Unite to Drive AI Industry Innovation

Xinhua/APP

Beijing: In a significant move to enhance innovation within the AI industry, eleven major high-tech zones across China have formed a collaborative network.

The announcement was made during a conference held in Beijing earlier this week, as reported by China Science Daily.

The newly established network includes prominent high-tech zones such as Beijing’s Zhongguancun—often referred to as China’s “Silicon Valley”—alongside others in Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Hefei, Qingdao, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Xi’an.

Wu Jiaxi, Deputy Director of the Planning Department at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, expressed optimism that this collaborative innovation network would foster a conducive environment for AI development in China through an open and inclusive approach. He highlighted that high-tech zones play a pivotal role as key drivers of AI innovation.

During the conference, participants introduced the Zhongguancun Initiative, aimed at accelerating advancements in AI technologies, including chips, algorithms, and models.

The initiative seeks to create a comprehensive innovation and entrepreneurship service system that spans the entire AI industry chain, facilitating technology exchange, industry collaboration, capital flow, and talent acquisition.

Additionally, the initiative promotes the establishment of open AI platforms to maximize the sharing of AI development outcomes and encourages high-tech zones to actively participate in formulating national and international standards.

The conference also underscored the critical need for robust data security and privacy protections, alongside regular supervision and regulatory services for AI platform companies, ensuring the traceability and reliability of AI technologies in the evolving landscape.