The ARM IoT Smart City Innovation Center opens in Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone on Sept 21. [Photo from WeChat account hefeigaoxinfabu]

The ARM IoT Smart City Innovation Center -- a cooperation project between semiconductor and software design company ARM Holdings and the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone -- opened in the zone on Sept 21.

ARM Holdings is the developer of ARM architecture, a chip design commonly used in smartphones and tablets.

The vast sales volume of ARM-based server chips has made the company a leader in the field of intelligent terminal controllers.

Chen Peng, representative of ARM Holdings, expressed gratitude for the support from the zone. He said the establishment of the innovation center will bolster ties between ARM and Hefei.

The innovation center will serve as a platform to develop the digital economy in the city -- as it integrates functions such as R&D, incubation and exchanges and is closely related to industries including integrated circuits, artificial intelligence and big data.

Zhao Bingrang, deputy mayor of Hefei city, offered his congratulations on the inauguration of the innovation center in his speech. He expressed the hope that more  high-quality projects would come to the zone and improvements would be made in smart city construction through the platform.

Ding Wenwu, president of the national IC investment fund, said the integrated circuits industry is developing rapidly in China and the cooperation and support of ARM Holdings meant a lot to the development of IC design companies.

At the opening ceremony, several technology companies in Hefei signed cooperation agreements to develop projects in the innovation center.

Attendees at the opening ceremony had discussions on the future trends of new technologies and how to integrate them with markets and smart city construction.

Several technology companies in Hefei sign cooperation agreements with the innovation center. [Photo from WeChat account hefeigaoxinfabu]