The municipal government of Zhuhai in Guangdong province has launched a new company – Zhuhai Technology Industry Group – as part of an ambitious program to boost its artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics sectors, after the success of DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics sparked a national race to cultivate the next tech leaders. It also unveiled incentives for local businesses, including “computing power vouchers” totaling CNY500 million. Eligible companies will be reimbursed for half of their computing power expenditures, capped at CNY10 million. Additionally, “model vouchers” worth CNY100 million were introduced to subsidize the use of large language models (LLMs). Companies can claim reimbursement for 30% of related costs, with a cap of CNY1 million per year.
Municipal officials also announced two initiatives aimed at incubating start-ups and integrating industrial resources: the Zhuhai Intelligent Robot Key Component Innovation Center and the Zhuhai AI and Robotics Industrial Alliance. Zhuhai’s move is part of a broader effort by Guangdong to establish itself as a global hub for AI and robotics. It comes after Zhejiang province garnered national praise for nurturing start-ups like DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics, whose founders have been hailed for their role in transforming China into a global tech power. Chen Lei, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Guangdong, said the provincial government formed a special team in March to support AI and robotics development in industrial settings.
Last month, Shenzhen unveiled two investment funds totaling CNY7 billion to support start-ups in robotics and smart devices and launched the Shenzhen AI Glasses Industry Alliance. Other local governments in China are pursuing similar initiatives to push their AI and robotics development initiatives. The provincial government of Zhejiang, meanwhile, released a comprehensive policy package aimed at strengthening its AI supply chain. It includes fiscal support, talent incentives and other measures to attract over CNY10 billion in AI venture capital. Other measures include subsidies for start-ups investing more than 3% of their operating revenue in research and development (R&D), and up to CNY30 million for projects focused on foundational AI models and vertical applications.
Shanghai accounted for a third of China’s robotics industry, while Pudong district represented one-third of Shanghai’s robotics companies, or more than 100 such firms. The Zhangjiang Robot Valley project, launched in 2020, covers an area of 4.2 sq km. Shanghai is home to several rising-star robotics makers, including Agibot, Fourier, Kepler Robotics, DroidUp, as well as the National and Local Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center, jointly backed by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the Shanghai government. In April, Shanghai State-owned Capital Investment and Pudong district launched a dedicated embodied intelligence fund targeting a total amount of CNY1 billion. China hopes frontier technologies, including humanoid robotics, can serve as new engines for economic growth, the South China Morning Post reports.
