Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, is emerging as a global hub for technology and innovation, with six local companies making significant strides in fields like AI and robotics.

DeepSeek, a Hangzhou-based AI firm, took the world by storm recently, topping app download charts in multiple countries. Unitree Robotics' robots have wowed audience with performance on the Spring Festival Gala.

(Photo: Screenshot of DeepSeek website)

Looking back, Game Science's Black Myth: Wukong, China's first AAA game, garnered global attention. Deep Robotics' “Jueying X30” robot made its debut in Singapore's power tunnels. BrainCo led the way in brain-computer interface, and Manycore created the world's largest indoor scene cognition dataset.

Hangzhou's success can be attributed to its forward-thinking policies.

Since 2014, the city has prioritized the development of information economy and smart applications, aiming to cultivate new drivers for innovation through initiatives like the “No. 1 Project.”

Continuous policy support has improved the AI landscape, covering sectors such as Healthcare and urban governance.

The city has also focused on improving its business environment, ranking first in the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce's “Business Environment Evaluation of 10,000 Private Enterprises” for five consecutive years. It leads the nation in the number of companies listed in the “Top 500 Chinese Private Enterprises” for 22 consecutive years.

Government support has been crucial for these companies. For example, Yichuang town provided rent subsidies to Game Science, while timely investment from Hangzhou saved Unitree Robotics from financial difficulties.

Besides, Hangzhou has developed an innovation ecosystem centered around universities, large-scale facilities, and major tech platforms, ranking 14th globally for three consecutive years among the top 100 technology cluster cities.

Its open and inclusive environment, has attracted a steady influx of talent, making it a hub for young innovators.

In 2023, Hangzhou's robotics industry achieved a production value of 15 billion yuan ($2.05 billion), with 10 major giant companies specializing in key areas such as robot component manufacturing and system integration.

According to the “2022–2023 Report on the Assessment of China's AI Computing Power Development,” Hangzhou ranked second in the national AI city evaluation, the only new first-tier city among the top five.

Hangzhou's interconnected policies, talent recruitment, and business environment have created a robust innovation chain, driving the growth of its high-tech industries.