Jiangsu province has successfully nurtured more than 3,000 firms certified as “little giants” – small but highly specialized and innovation-driven companies active in industrial supply chains – that have enabled China's technology self reliance drive. That number surpasses that of any other Chinese province. Among these little giants is Pudu Robotics, a service-robot maker with a plant in Yancheng, a city in northern Jiangsu. The factory was designed for an annual production capacity of 60,000 units. The supply chain in the Yangtze River Delta offered easy access to necessary components and allowed the company to “adjust suppliers” based on manufacturing needs. Along Jiangsu’s windy coastline lies the research and development center of Goldwind Science & Technology, the world’s largest maker of wind turbines. The proximity of key suppliers for generators, blades, subsea cables and energy storage systems made it an ideal location to assemble wind power turbines.
Several hi-tech companies said they were courted by local authorities through various campaigns. In September, Suzhou unveiled a plan to build an “AI+ city” to foster artificial intelligence development in Jiangsu. Wuxi is recognized as a major base for China’s semiconductor industry, encompassing everything from chip design to fabrication and packaging. In addition to facilities run by SK Hynix and Infineon Technologies, Wuxi is home to China’s second-largest contract chip manufacturer, Hua Hong Semiconductor, as well as other domestic players such as Maxscend Microelectronics and CR Micro. These companies form part of an extensive regional supply chain comprising more than 600 entities in the integrated circuit sector.
The concentration of companies in Jiangsu has fostered synergies among businesses. CGXi, a collaborative robot maker, said it was working closely with the domestic electric vehicle (EV) industry. This collaborative spirit has also allowed robotics firms in Jiangsu to experiment and innovate. Miracle Automation, a producer of car assembly line equipment in Jiangsu, is partnering with UBTech Robotics and Galbot to set up a factory floor where humanoid robots can be trained. Provincial and municipal investment vehicles in Jiangsu continue to invest in attracting strategic industries and innovative enterprises through initiatives that include limited partnerships, funds of funds and “patient capital” in the form of government guidance funds. These programs aim to achieve both financial returns and strategic benefits to further develop the region’s economy, the South China Morning Post reports.
