Legion of creative companies, research platforms expected to promote innovation

A panoramic view of Wuhan, which shows the Yangtze River running through the heart of the city. CHINA DAILY

Legion of high-tech companies and research platforms expected to promote innovation

The capital city of Wuhan in Hubei province is pushing forward the construction of the East Lake Science City as part of its efforts to build itself into a national sci-tech powerhouse.

Located in Wuhan's East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, also known as China's Optics Valley, the science city began construction in February 2021 and covers 100 square kilometers. 

Focusing on two industries of optoelectronic information as well as life and health, the city will bring in a legion of high-tech companies and build numerous research platforms, according to its development plan. This includes seven provincial labs, nine scientific facilities and nine innovation centers, according to the plan.

The city is expected to serve as a key driver for Wuhan to develop into a national sci-tech center while promoting the innovation-driven development of cities in Central China, local officials said.

Among facilities in the science city, the Wuhan Supercomputing Center, China's largest container-like computing facility, was put into operation at the end of September.

The gigantic project offers computing power of 50 petaflops in the early stage, which is equivalent to 100,000 high-performance computers operating simultaneously. It will eventually provide 200 petaflops in total, said Luo Qin, head of the computing center.

The computing center as well as the Wuhan Artificial Intelligence Computing Center, another project in the science city, will build a strong computing foundation for local high-tech industries and boost the province’s digital economy, local officials said.

Seven provincial labs have opened in industries such as optoelectronics, aerospace, agriculture and biosecurity.

According to the city's development plan, it will finish the initial phase of construction by 2025 and aims to become an internationally influential scientific hub by 2050.

'Two Valleys'

Wuhan has achieved remarkable progress in sci-tech innovation during the past decade and created an extensive system of modern industries. 

Last year, the city's investment in research and development accounted for 3.51 percent of its GDP, up from 2.66 percent 10 years ago.

The number of high-tech companies in the city surged more than tenfold during the past decade, and the added value of high-tech industries more than doubled, contributing 27 percent to GDP.

As its name suggests, the Optics Valley, established in 1988, is the birthplace of China's first optical fiber and first optical transmission system.

Today, the East Lake High-Tech Zone has become the largest R&D and production base for optical devices in the country. Its optoelectronic information industry is predicted to produce an output of 500 billion yuan ($73.1 billion) by 2025.

Meanwhile, the zone continued to boost emerging industries as it established a group of industrial parks involving smart manufacturing, modern services and biomedicine.

Official data showed that about 4,300 high-tech enterprises are operational in the zone including the leading laser equipment manufacturer HGTECH and the tech giant Xiaomi. Last year, the zone registered an annual GDP of 240 billion yuan, up 16.8 percent year-on-year.

Wuhan is also known for its auto industry, with the Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone billed as China's Auto Valley.

Founded in 1991, WEDZ is home to nine vehicle enterprises, 13 auto plants and about 500 auto parts producers. It has made steady strides in new energy vehicles, new materials, and autonomous driving thanks to policy support.

In 2019, Wuhan received approval to build a national intelligent networked vehicle testing zone. Since then, WEDZ has paved 321 kilometers of testing roads and granted 117 road test licenses to 17 enterprises.

Among them, Dongfeng Usharing Technology has seen its unmanned shuttle buses handle 30,000 passengers, with an operating mileage of 200,000 km.

The testing operation is a key step in the exploration of the commercialization of autonomous driving, and will help manufacturers improve products, said Zhou Jing, chief operating officer of the company.

WEDZ has the capacity to provide 15 major application scenarios for intelligent networked vehicles including road cleaning, product delivery and shared transportation.

The zone's administration council plans to open 115.5 km of new roads this year, covering some sections of airport-centered highways, to offer enterprises more options for transportation.