Chengdu, capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan Province, has taken the lead in developing a robot cluster with three adjoining cities, in a bid to construct a robot hub in western China.
At a conference on robotics held in Ziyang, a prefecture-level city, on June 20, the bureaus of economy and information technology from four cities — Chengdu, Deyang, Meishan and Ziyang — signed an agreement to develop a provincial-level robotic industrial alliance.
According to the agreement, the cities will build an industrial ecosystem and a shared market for robots. They will also share business resources and make a push for commercialization of tech research results.
As the provincial capital and an economic powerhouse in western China, Chengdu will lead the robotic alliance and develop it into one of “national influence.”
Across China, several major cities, including Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen, have constructed industrial chains around robotics in conjunction with neighboring cities.
Among them, the Yangtze and Pearl River Delta regions are at the forefront of China’s shift toward a future driven by industrial automation and digitization.
Other regions have followed suit. The Chengdu-led city agglomeration, with Chengdu at its center, has resolved to build a coalition of robotic firms and tap deeply into its fusion with AI.
Specifically, the coalition will promote a model where R&D work is conducted in Chengdu, with Deyang, Meishan and Ziyang responsible for manufacturing the concrete products.
Under this model, local authorities will connect businesses in need and foster cooperation among them.
Besides, they also look to broaden the application of robotics both within and outside of the province and even beyond Chinese borders.
The agreement signed on June 20 features a focus on nudging firms from the Chengdu-led industry cluster to “band together” and compete globally.
To facilitate internal collaboration, authorities from the four cities also will meet regularly and establish a day-to-day communication mechanism to tackle issues like policy discussion, project execution as well as provision and coordination of services.
