IoT industry gains ground in Wuxi

A box-shaped unmanned mini-bus smoothly approaches an intersection, seamlessly decelerating thanks to its advanced exterior sensors that detect objects in its surroundings.

This groundbreaking technology allows the mini-bus, known as the "robobus", to navigate the busy streets of Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, without incident.

This innovative concept, once considered to be nothing more than a pipedream, has now become a daily reality in Wuxi, showcasing the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT) industry in the city. In 2022, the scale of Wuxi's IoT industry saw an uptick of 16.2 percent year-on-year, reaching an impressive 401.1 billion yuan ($54.86 billion), making up nearly half of Jiangsu's total.

To support and showcase these advancements, the Wuxi government has been organizing the World Internet of Things Exposition (WIoT) annually since 2016. The WIoT has become a highly anticipated technological gathering, attracting industry pioneers who come from far and wide to showcase their latest technologies.

This year's edition, scheduled from Oct 20 to 23, promises to be a grand event featuring a summit, an expansive 50,000-square meter exhibition, and a variety of activities, including forums, dialogues, product releases and consumer experiences. The summit alone is expected to welcome over 2,000 participants, including leading officials, academicians and industry leaders.

Aside from the WIoT, Wuxi has been actively promoting a wide range of IoT-enabled applications in various sectors of the city, including water conservancy and power supply.

The State Grid Wuxi Power Supply Company, for example, has explored the use of satellite constellations connected to the city's power grid, utilizing the Beidou Navigation Satellite System since 2020.

According to Mei Qin, general manager of the IoT branch of State Grid Wuxi Power Supply Company, this latest form of IoT has significantly enhanced the security of Wuxi's power grid, enabling near-real-time locating and monitoring of infrastructure and leading to rapid responses in critical situations such as extreme weather or power outages.

Wuxi has also attracted renowned companies and research institutes, such as China Mobile, China Telecom, Microsoft and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to establish their IoT research facilities in the city.

Wuxi Xinxiang Information Technology Co Ltd, a semiconductor intelligent manufacturing solution provider in China, relocated to Wuxi in 2018. Jin Xingxun, the company's chief operating officer, attributes the relocation to the city's congenial business environment, complete semiconductor and IoT industry chains, and abundant talent resources.

The robust IoT industry in Wuxi has provided employment opportunities for over 200,000 people, with 50,000 of them certified as highly-skilled talent.

To further stimulate the industry's growth, the Wuxi government has implemented various measures, including providing administrative and financial support to emerging firms and establishing task groups dedicated to IoT and vehicle-to-everything affairs. Additionally, the government encourages industrial agglomeration and is actively building faster network infrastructure.

In its pursuit of IoT development, Wuxi has released two editions of development outlines from 2011 to 2023. The latest outline, spanning from 2021 to 2025, emphasizes simultaneous progress in three key aspects of IoT: smart sensors, vehicle-to-everything technology and the industrial internet.

These concerted efforts have already begun paying dividends, as Wuxi-based businesses are now implementing IoT projects in over 800 cities, both domestically and internationally.

Smart Drive Sensing (Wuxi) Co Ltd is a prime example, having supplied water level monitoring equipment for dragon boat racing events during the recent 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. This cutting-edge equipment provided real-time and accurate measurements of the water level at the venue.

In addition, the company's water flow meters are currently widely used in smart irrigation projects across various locations, including Zhejiang, Anhui, Hainan, Hunan and Xinjiang.

Hu Guojun, the company's general manager, disclosed that these state-of-the-art gadgets are designed to withstand extreme environmental conditions, including temperature and humidity, and are powered by solar panels or lithium batteries, ensuring long-term operation and suitability for use in most regions of China.

Hu Haoshu and Xiang Wenjian in Wuxi contributed to the story.