Zhejiang offers subsidies for smart device purchases

Zhejiang province will support consumer spending on smart devices, including products such as smart home robots and smart glasses, in the subsidy scope for its consumer goods trade-in program, offering a subsidy of up to 15 percent of the product price, with a maximum of 2,000 yuan per item.

In recent years, Zhejiang has emerged as an AI powerhouse with its "Six Dragons", Game Science, BrainCo, Manycore, DEEP Robotics, Unitree, and Deepseek. According to a report released by the China Center for Information Industry Development on April 26, it ranks first in regional potential of AI development.

To further promote AI development, the province plans to build embodied intelligence industry bases, establish public testing environments and verification platforms, and support the iterative upgrade of embodied intelligence hardware and software, according to a document released on May 16. Additionally, it will encourage state-owned enterprises and public institutions to focus on future factories and smart industrial parks and release at least 50 application scenarios to create "showrooms" and "experience centers" for embodied intelligence applications.

To develop its industrial ecosystem, Zhejiang will accelerate the formation of an artificial intelligence development pattern with Hangzhou and Ningbo as the core, covering the entire industrial chain, including chips, servers, optoelectronic networks, system software, cloud platforms, large models, and intelligent terminals.

By 2027, Zhejiang will cultivate several AI companies with global competitiveness and influence, with the total income of the province's core artificial intelligence industry above the designated size, exceeding one trillion yuan ($138.77 billion).

As for talent, Zhejiang will streamline talent introduction procedures and provide performance-based subsidies. It will bring in more than 10 top talents in AI and set up a program to support over 300 talents within the region every year.

In application scenarios, Zhejiang will apply artificial intelligence to science, manufacturing, finance, culture, transportation, healthcare, and education. It will choose the 10 most influential projects and provide a subsidy of up to 30 percent of the investment, with a maximum of 5 million yuan per item.