Shenzhen unveils $630 million subsidy plan to boost AI, robotics

Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong province, plans to launch special supportive policies, including 4.5 billion yuan ($630 million) financial incentives, to boost the city's artificial intelligence and robotics industry.

The new policy package includes subsidies for businesses, offering up to 60 percent, as much as 10 million yuan, in vouchers on computing power. The government will also offer model vouchers, corpus vouchers and scene-based subsidies to incentivize growth and innovation in the AI and robotics sectors.

According to Lin Yi, head of the city's AI industry department, Shenzhen plans to launch a special policy for humanoid robots, designed to promote breakthroughs in key technologies, database and large-scale manufacturing.

The government will support companies through measures such as ranking, which aim to drive collaboration and accelerate technological advancements. A total of 4.5 billion yuan will be allocated to the initiative this year, with company applications set to open in March.

The city also intends to integrate AI and robotics into its major science and technology projects, to foster partnerships between industry, academia and research institutions, Lin said.