Chinese local governments are pouring out various support measures to attract next-generation advanced industry corporations such as artificial intelligence (AI) and humanoid robots. Recently, as Chinese President Xi Jinping called and encouraged the heads of emerging tech companies, local governments' movements are interpreted as accelerating. Depending on the policy results of local governments, it is expected that there will be significant changes in the ranking of future cities.
According to a report by the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 24th, the Shenzhen Municipal Government's Information Office held a press conference the previous day on the theme of "creating the best scientific and technological innovation ecosystem and talent development environment." At this event, Lin Yi, director of the Shenzhen AI Industry Office, noted, "Shenzhen has unique development advantages in the AI and humanoid robot industries as a hub for advanced manufacturing and technological innovation" and stated that support will be strengthened.
Specifically examining the policy details, a fund of 10 billion yuan (approximately 2 trillion won) will be established for the AI and robot industry. The plan is to invest in several high-growth corporations in the fields of AI software and hardware and robotics to strengthen the related ecosystem. This year alone, 4.5 billion yuan (approximately 900 billion won) will be brought in to support up to 60% of the computational expenses related to the corporations' AI research and development (R&D) and model training, capped at 10 million yuan (approximately 1.97 billion won).
In addition, the free accommodation period for university graduates coming to find jobs in Shenzhen will be extended from 7 days to 15 days, and support for dwellings and startup guidance will also be strengthened. Director Lin stated, "A special policy on humanoid robots will be announced soon" and said, "We will allocate AI and robots to major scientific and technological projects throughout the city, encouraging industry, academia, research, and application organizations to form an innovation alliance and collaborate on research."
Support for the AI and humanoid robot industries is not limited to Shenzhen. The day before, Shanghai Deputy Mayor Chen Jie stated at the '2025 Global Developers Vanguard Conference' that the focus will be on application areas such as intelligent terminals, scientific AI, and autonomous driving, and announced plans to strengthen cooperation with suppliers of semiconductors, basic model computing, software, and hardware. On the 12th, Chongqing city presented a list of industrial and information technology projects, including core technology research for intelligent robots and large models. Jiangsu Province's Suzhou city announced support policies, including the construction of an 'AI+ innovation development demonstration zone' on the 14th.
These moves by Chinese local governments align with the leadership's intention to fully support AI and humanoid robots. On the 17th, Xi Jinping held a private enterprise forum in Beijing, where representatives from Chinese tech corporations, including DeepSeek, Huawei, Alibaba, and the humanoid robot company Unitary gathered. Four days later, on the 21st, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stated, "We will firmly promote the high-quality development of the robot industry," and on the same day, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission held a meeting to review the progress of AI development among state-owned corporations.
Predictions suggest that the economic status of each city may vary depending on how much they nurture next-generation core industries like AI and humanoid robots. Hangzhou, which is home to the six emerging tech corporations known as 'Six Dragons', including DeepSeek and Unitary, is a representative example. The previous day, Singapore's United Daily News reported that "with the rise of the Six Dragons, Hangzhou has transformed into the most popular new technology city in China," noting that it ranked second in China's AI city rankings, surpassing Shenzhen for four consecutive years.