The factory of multinational corporation ABB Group in the Xiamen Torch Development Zone for High Technology Industries. [Photo/China Daily]

The favorable business environment of the Xiamen Torch Development Zone for High Technology Industries has spurred notable innovations and development for its enterprises.

With a national-level designation, the Torch high-tech zone adheres to the principle of "developing high technology and achieving industrialization", focusing on the entire life cycle of enterprises and the full chain of industrial development, continuously optimizing the business environment. Up to now, the high-tech zone has gathered more than 30,000 enterprises and established over 200 innovative platforms, including nearly 30 national-level incubation facilities.

"A good business environment represents productivity and competitiveness," said an official of the administrative committee of the Torch high-tech zone, adding: "The high-tech zone strengthens the position of enterprises as the main innovators, continuously strengthens the team of innovative and high-growth enterprises, enhances service efficiency, creates a higher-quality innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem and strives to blaze a new trail in promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation."

Sanan IC was included in the latest list of the eighth batch of provincial-level manufacturing single-item champion enterprises in the zone.

"After years of innovation and accumulation, our developed gallium nitride RF(radio frequency) chip products have achieved a market share of over 28 percent in the domestic market, ranking first domestically," said Sun Xiguo, deputy general manager of Sanan IC.

In the realm of 5G mobile communication infrastructure, the pivotal role of gallium nitride RF chips in power amplification for signal transmission cannot be overstated. Addressing significant technological hurdles, Sanan IC, in partnership with parties including Xidian University, has forged ahead by establishing an autonomous technological platform. Together, they have conquered various critical process technologies, resulting in proprietary solutions with independent intellectual property rights that have propelled the industrial application of 5G communication. The groundbreaking project was honored with the prestigious first prize for the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award in June.

Sanan IC symbolizes the forefront of technological innovation in the high-tech zone, which this year has introduced a series of substantial policies aimed at accelerating the advancement of new industrialization and supporting quality development of technology enterprises. In collaboration with the tax authorities, the zone has leveraged big data in taxation to create a profile of companies' innovation capabilities. Tailored service solutions have been devised for enterprises listed on the "enterprise innovation tax index", aiding them in overcoming challenges related to sectors such as technology and funding.

In recent years, the Torch high-tech zone has supported leading enterprises in collaboration with universities, research institutes and the entire industry chain to build innovative platforms, enhancing the core competitiveness of businesses and industries. Examples include: the Tianma New Display Technology Research Institute project invested in by Tianma Microelectronics to achieve product highlights and an event to promote transformation of cutting-edge technologies like RISC-V open-source chips and project incubation. Also, the AI industry empowerment center under Baidu's deep-learning framework PaddlePaddle in Xiamen has established a platform that integrates AI resources from government, industry, academia and research, providing AI productivity tools and public technical services to local businesses.

Additionally, the "policy compliance intelligent approval system" launched by the high-tech zone in June 2023 has gained popularity among businesses. The system is managed by AI robots for initial review. It offers immediate feedback upon detecting errors or incomplete documents, guiding companies to enhance relevant materials while minimizing the necessity for unnecessary trips.

"Over the past year, based on user feedback, we have made multiple iterations and updates to the system," said a manager at the enterprise service center of the Torch high-tech zone.

With the help of technology, the high-tech zone has transformed its services to be more intelligent. Businesses can effortlessly access tailored policies without the need for formal applications, and they have the flexibility to select appropriate intelligent manufacturing services and financial products through platforms such as the Torch intelligent manufacturing service platform and the Torch financial service platform. As of September, 225 businesses have benefited from seven policies, including incentives for small businesses expansion and special rewards for innovative enterprises.

In addition to intelligent services, the high-tech zone has invited think tanks to help empower business development. In August, it officially established the business consultant service station, and 26 experts in fields such as law, restructuring for initial public offerings, accounting and taxation, bank financing and logistics supply chain have been hired as the first batch of business service consultants. Operating in a mode integrating shared consultant and on-site expert services, the station provides public welfare consulting services to businesses through methods like online consultations, on-site public service, in-depth enterprise research services and organizing training activities to address the difficulties and needs encountered by companies during their development process.

Furthermore, the high-tech zone continues to deepen its "enterprise benefit service" initiative by organizing activities such as policy briefings, corporate reception days, technical exchanges, talent training and supply chain connections to provide platforms, resources, and market expansion opportunities for businesses.

This year has seen several new entrants in the realm of new energy industries forging partnerships with the Torch high-tech zone, and ongoing establishment of the first phase of an electrochemical energy storage system construction project holds the potential to evolve into a cutting-edge international and top-tier domestic hub for the research and development of energy storage system testing and verification technologies. Serving as the central hub for the advancement of Xiamen's new energy sector, the Torch high-tech zone has cultivated a new energy industry ecosystem marked by robust collaboration among key players such as Ampace, Hithium and CALB, driving industry leadership and fostering strong synergy throughout the supply chain.

The high-tech zone has recently emphasized precise investment attraction and efficient capital introduction, focusing on developing and expanding industry chains like electronic information, electrical appliance and power, new energy, and sectors such as artificial intelligence, new materials, the internet of things, industrial internet, pharmaceuticals, and smart health. This has led to a growing emphasis on a virtuous cycle within the industrial ecosystem.

The high-tech zone is driving the professionalization and branding of its incubators to nurture top-tier scientific and technological startups. This year, significant progress has been made, including the Torch graphene incubator, which has attracted 31 new small and medium-sized businesses. Additionally, the IoT incubator brought in 46 new enterprises, the biomedical incubator added 25 new companies, and the Software Park metaverse hub now hosts nearly 40 AI businesses.

Guan Xuan, Liu Qing and Li Shun contributed to this story.