Shenzhen’s government has issued a long list of subsidies to support artificial intelligence (AI) development in the city in a fresh sign of how local Chinese authorities are pulling out all the stops to support the growth of the industry.
According to measures published by the Industry and Information Technology Bureau of Shenzhen on Wednesday, the government will earmark 500 million yuan (US$68.6 million) to help AI firms to rent computing resources, with each company eligible for up to 10 million yuan worth of subsidies, and another 50 million yuan available for buying “training data”.
The southern tech hub will also set aside 300 million yuan each year to support AI-related research. Subsidies for fundamental research reach up to 10 million yuan per project, and the ceiling can be raised to 30 million yuan for projects with key “breakthroughs”, according to the policy.
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While the subsidies are small compared with the investments from private US firms that dominate the AI industry, the promises of financial support from the Shenzhen government are a show of China’s commitment to local industry players. These measures will be effective for two years starting from next Wednesday.
A maximum of 2 million yuan is also available to Shenzhen-based businesses procuring generative AI models registered with the Cyberspace Administration of China, and another allocation of up to 100 million yuan will be designated for AI applications in key industries.
Projects applying AI in high-end manufacturing, modern services, and scientific research can receive as much as 2 million yuan as well. For benchmark projects demonstrating a leading role in their fields, subsidies could reach up to 10 million yuan.
The measures include 50 million yuan for AI projects related to city governance and public services. Companies creating AI applications for government services in education, healthcare, transport, public security, and environmental protection can receive as much as 5 million yuan each.
Companies developing AI software with independent intellectual property rights that have been commercialised can receive up to 10 million yuan, while newly approved AI labs in the city can receive up to 5 million yuan. AI-related contests or conventions with prominent international influence are eligible for up to 3 million yuan.
Other supportive measures include rent-free policies ranging from six months to three years for qualified small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups.
Additionally, the measures include a package of policies that support top AI talent in developing their careers. Start-ups registered within the last six to 48 months are eligible for one-off subsidies ranging from 300,000 yuan to 1 million yuan to encourage workers with overseas education to establish AI businesses in Shenzhen.
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