Hangzhou dangles up to 30 million yuan in AI subsidies to support country’s push for global dominance
- Dozens of Chinese cities have released policies to foster AI development over the past year, as the country eyes global leadership in the field
- Hangzhou, home to some of China’s biggest tech giants such as Alibaba and NetEase, will subsidise projects to promote “shared and open AI platforms”
Hangzhou has become the latest city to unveil a package of policies supportive of artificial intelligence (AI) development, as Chinese cities charge into the new year with AI development as a key priority.
The city, home to some of China’s biggest tech giants including Alibaba and NetEase, will offer up to 30 million yuan (US$4.3 million) in subsidies per project for the development of open AI platforms, computing hardware, core algorithms and operating systems, the Hangzhou Municipal Government announced. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
Individual companies and research institutes can claim 50 per cent of the total price of new research and development (R&D) equipment for the development of open-source, shared research platforms, up to a maximum of 30 million yuan per project, according to a document released last month. Those that have already invested at least 5 million yuan in such platforms and achieved good service standards could be reimbursed 30 per cent of their investment in software and hardware, up to a maximum of 5 million yuan per project.
In addition, the city will subsidise 20 per cent of R&D investments for research on core AI technologies with a cap of 5 million yuan per project, but approved research projects in certain key areas – such as AI chips, core algorithms and operating systems – qualify for up to 20 million yuan in grants each.
The new subsidies are meant to “foster the building of shared and open AI platforms and bring down the computing cost” of AI development, according to the document.
Chinese government funding for AI has been a sensitive issue in the past year, amid an ongoing trade war with the US and as the world’s two largest economies battle for AI supremacy.