Top 5 tech giants who shape Shenzhen, 'China's Silicon Valley'
Shenzhen has never hidden its ambition to be China's answer to Silicon Valley. Last year, the city saw more than 64 billion yuan (HK$80.46 billion) invested in research and development.
Shenzhen has never hidden its ambition to be China's answer to Silicon Valley. Last year, the city saw more than 64 billion yuan (HK$80.46 billion) invested in research and development, accounting for 4 per cent of GDP, only matched by South Korea and Israel.
SCMP staff reporters have examined the Shenzhen technology market an identified five enterprises that represent the most successful, innovative firms based in the city. Their inclusion is based on annual sales revenue, international patent filings, position within their specific field, potential for expansion, and public influence in China and overseas.
BGI
Founded in 1999, BGI relocated to Shenzhen as the first citizen-managed, non-profit research institution in China. The firm owns 230 of the largest, high-throughput gene-sequencing machines which can sequence 30,000 human genomes a year, helping the company to become the world’s largest genome-mapping company. BGI has also carried out research on the SARS virus and E. coli, contributed to the International Human HapMap Project, and mapped the genomes of species ranging from the giant panda to 40 types of silkworms. Using technological advances, BGI has helped vastly reduce the cost of sequencing complete genomes, from US$3 billion in 2003 to mere thousands of dollars today.