For decades, when there was talk of technological innovation, there was an inevitable destination: Silicon Valley. From that strip of northern California advances were promoted that marked the lives of millions of people worldwide. There were companies that today are part of our day to day, such as Apple, Google, Nvidia, Adobe or Netflix, and there a cultural imaginary was also forged that made Silicon Valley synonymous with synonym of modernity. The term not only defines a place, it is also a brand What have we seen in series, movies and even the way we think about technology.
Today, however, other regions of the planet begin to claim their space, with the ambition to balance, or at least approach, to the symbolic and economic weight of that Californian cradle of innovation. And in that struggle, one of the most striking movements comes from China. Shanghai has put A project that seeks to transform Zhangjiang, into Pudong, in what we could interpret as its own Silicon Valley of artificial intelligence. The goal is as specific as huge: create an ecosystem with 1,000 new companies from here to 2030, reach an industrial volume of 100,000 million yuanes, one 12,000 million euros to change, and raise an innovation center with global influence, According to the Xinhua state agency.
They are figures that impose respect. If the announcement came from any other part of the world, it could sound more to aspiration than tangible plan. Because gathering a thousand artificial intelligence startups In just five yearsmoving more than 10,000 million euros in such a short time and also pretending world influence is not precisely a simple task. But we talk about China, a country that in recent years has proven to be able to turn its ads into realities.
The transformation of its technological industry is evident. China is no longer limited to being the world factory That supplies the devices we use every day, also innova. And he does it hard. There are cases like Deepseek in the field of artificial intelligence or Unitree Robotics In Robotics, companies that have climbed positions until they become international referents.
China is no longer limited to being the world factory.
There is another key element: resilience against external restrictions. The United States has imposed severe limits to Chinese access to the most advanced technology, From nvidia leading chips Until the Lithography Machinery of Advanced Nodes of ASML. And, despite this, China has managed to respond. Huawei’s example, who managed to develop a 5G chip in full technological fencehe surprised his own and strangers in Washington and showed the country’s ability to advance even under pressure.
This context feeds an inevitable question: can Zhangjiang become the Silicon Valley of artificial intelligence? For now there are no definitive answers. What we do have is a plan with clear goals. If it will end up being a new Silicon Valley or not, only time will say it. But the movement is already underway and deserves to be followed closely.
Shanghai’s commitment to convert Zhangjiang into a magnet of companies, talent and capital
To land the promise, it is convenient to go down to the facts: on September 16 it was inaugurated in the heart of Zhangjiang Science City the call Zhangjiang Artificial Intelligence Innovation Townthe starting point from which to understand what the project is, where it unfolds and what goals has been set for the next few years.
It is not about lifting a technology park from scratch, but to integrate existing spaces such as Moli Community, a residential and innovative area, AI Island, a park specialized in artificial intelligence, or the Moli Twin Towers. The idea is clear: that this concentration works as an innovation engine, test terrain for new applications and fertile space for startups and large companies. In official words, ambition is to build a place of “low cost of innovation and high intelligence density”, With an eye on attracting talent and accelerating the implementation of artificial intelligence in specific scenarios.
The project is displayed by a planned surface of 2 square kilometers, According to China News. The heart of the area brings together more than 700,000 square meters of industrial spaces and is based on 1,000,000 square meters of facilities. Less than 3 kilometers are added 7,000 homes aimed at talent. The sources that we have consulted do not clarify whether these figures correspond to new work or existing resources.
The plan has set two clear horizons. By 2027, the goal is to have gathered more than 500 new artificial intelligence companies, complete the registration of 100 large models and have consolidated between three and five companies with a vocation of global leadership. The second milestone arrives in 2030, with the aim of reaching the 1,000 new companies and an industrial volume of 100,000 million yuan. The inauguration of September 16 marked the beginning of that road.
The premiere was not symbolic. At the inauguration The first twenty companies were presented. They do not reach a desert, because since July 28, when the concept of the initiative was announced, more than forty companies had already joined.
To attract companies and talent, Pudong has launched what he calls the “Ten high quality measures”From Zhangjiang AI Innovation Town. The menu includes rentals from 1 yuan (0.12 euros) per square meter and day, free accommodation between one and two weeks for equipment in the initial phase, low -cost youth apartments with a Maximum 2,000 yuan (239 euros) per month for three years, and a system of coupons that cover up to 100 percent in computing services, models or linguistic corpus, with stops of one million yuan per category. To this are added support for “AI demonstration scenarios” of up to 10 million yuan (1.2 million euros), among other incentives.
Capital is also part of the design. The inauguration announced the Zhangjiang AI Innovation Town Link Fund, a fund of 2,000 million yuan created by Hillhouse Venture and the Pudong Public Investment Group. Its function is to connect to entrepreneurs with industrial resources and large companies, and adds to vehicles already deployed in the district, with 2,000 million yuan (239,000 euros) for seed phases and another 2,000 million for angel investment, According to the Pudong government.
Images | Pudong government (1, 2, 3) | Greg Bulla
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