Shenzhen – often hailed as China’s Silicon Valley – has pledged to ramp up its investments in talent development with a particular focus on humanoid robotics, part of a growing global competition in tech that will see robots and artificial intelligence (AI) as major battlegrounds.
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The southern metropolis is gearing up to implement a “comprehensive policy package” for start-ups aimed at bolstering innovation, said Lin Yi, director of the Shenzhen AI Industry Office, at a press conference held by the city government on Sunday.
Lin added Shenzhen will offer subsidies for the AI field, including vouchers covering up to 60 per cent of the cost of training an AI model, with a maximum of 10 million yuan (US$1.38 million).
The initiatives come amid China’s escalating efforts to secure a leading position in the rapidly advancing global AI and robotics race.
Domestically, the tech hub is facing growing competition from other Chinese cities. Hangzhou in eastern China, for instance, has drawn global attention for the success of its AI start-up DeepSeek and robotics firm Unitree in recent months.
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Located in the southern province of Guangdong, Shenzhen houses a thriving tech sector supported by a robust network of start-ups, research institutions and established tech giants such as Huawei Technologies and Tencent.