Rugao High-Tech Industrial Development Zone has seen rapid development of its software and information service, optoelectronics and third-generation semiconductor, as well as smart manufacturing industries in recent years, local media outlets reported.

Three projects worth more than 100 million yuan ($15.67 million) each started construction in the first quarter of this year, including an optoelectronics project boasting 1 billion yuan in investment.

Led by a number of industrial leaders, the zone has built a comprehensive innovation platform for third-generation semiconductors, comprising research and development centers, testing bases, as well as industrial parks.

Local R&D institutes are also encouraged to partner with domestic and overseas sci-tech units, such as Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to accelerate the commercialization of high-end products, including epitaxial chips and advanced displays.

For the smart manufacturing sector, the zone has worked with advanced manufacturing hubs like Beijing E-town to introduce high-end technological service providers that bring in national key sci-tech projects.

Rugao Software Park, the only county-level park that is included in the national Torch programme, is located in the zone and has nearly 20,000 employees. The second phase of the park, covering an area of 220,000 square meters, will soon be put into use and will focus on new-generation information technology, including big data and the internet of things.

In the next three years, the zone aims to bring in an additional 100 high-tech companies. To achieve this goal, the local administration has dispatched six teams to cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Suzhou to attract investment in the aforementioned three pillar industries, with 12 projects worth more than 1 billion yuan each being discussed.