After Beijing and Shenzhen, which are China’s rising tech hubs?
Landlocked cities such as Guizhou and Chengdu are among the 17 tech hubs designated by Beijing to spur innovation and transition the country into a tech powerhouse
As the big boys in the “Silicon Valleys of China” – Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen – awe the world with multi-billion ventures, several second- and lower-tier cities have quietly blossomed to become some of the country’s fastest-growing hi-tech hubs.
Guiyang, a south-western city which has until recently been known more for its widespread poverty than its burgeoning innovation, is one such city.
In 2015, the city became home to China’s first big data pilot zone, a move by the central government to boost the industry and nurture leading enterprises in big data sharing and innovation.
Last month, Apple announced that it would invest US$1 billion in building a data centre in Guiyang, provincial capital of Guizhou.
US chip giant Qualcomm has also set up a joint venture with the Guizhou provincial government, called Huaxintong, to make server chips in 2016. Qualcomm has invested close to 2 billion yuan in the venture so far.