Recently, the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology officially issued the "Measures for Shenzhen to Build a Pioneer City in Artificial Intelligence," aimed at promoting the application and development of the artificial intelligence industry. An annual investment of up to 300 million yuan will focus on cutting-edge areas such as mathematical principles, infrastructure, and core algorithms of artificial intelligence, as well as key fields like embodied intelligence, autonomous driving, and artificial intelligence chips, to conduct basic research and technological breakthroughs.
Among these measures, for demonstration application projects with promotional value, Shenzhen will provide funding of up to 30% of the actual investment by the project construction entity, with a maximum of 2 million yuan. For benchmark application projects that show significant leadership, the funding standard will also be increased, with a maximum of 10 million yuan available.
To reduce the costs of developing and training artificial intelligence models, Shenzhen will issue "Training Coupons," with a total annual amount of up to 500 million yuan. Related enterprises, universities, and research institutions renting smart computing power for large model training can receive funding of up to 50% of the service contract amount, while for startups, this proportion will increase to 60%. Additionally, the municipal government will issue "Corpus Coupons" to promote the open sharing and trading of corpora.
Shenzhen also plans to issue "Model Coupons" with a maximum annual amount of 100 million yuan to reduce the application costs of artificial intelligence models. The municipal government encourages companies to develop smart hardware products, offering rewards of up to 3 million yuan for annual best-selling products that achieve a certain sales volume. Developers of artificial intelligence software that achieve commercial application for the first time can receive funding of up to 10 million yuan.
In terms of basic research and technological breakthroughs, Shenzhen will invest up to 300 million yuan annually to support research in cutting-edge areas such as the mathematical principles, infrastructure, and core algorithms of artificial intelligence. The municipal government encourages universities, research institutes, and enterprises to establish key laboratories for artificial intelligence, providing funding of up to 5 million yuan to promote source innovation for large models.
Measures for Shenzhen to Build a Pioneer City in Artificial Intelligence
In order to thoroughly implement the national strategic deployment for developing the new generation of artificial intelligence, and to execute the "Implementation Opinions of the Guangdong Provincial People's Government on Accelerating the Construction of an Innovative Leading Area for General Artificial Intelligence Industry" (Yuefu [2023] No. 90) and other documents, we actively construct the national new generation artificial intelligence innovation development experimental zone and the national artificial intelligence innovation application pilot zone, aiming to build a pioneer city in artificial intelligence, and establish these measures.
1. Enrich the supply of ecological elements
(1) Increase the supply of inclusive service resources. Accelerate the construction of advanced computing infrastructure such as Pengcheng Cloud Brain III, encouraging major computing infrastructure within the city to provide computing power services at preferential prices. Based on major project resources, support enterprises in low-cost usage of computing power, models, corpora, and other artificial intelligence service resources through innovative methods. (Responsible units: Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology Innovation, Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology)
(2) Issue "Training Coupons." Annually issue up to 500 million yuan in "Training Coupons" to reduce the costs of developing and training artificial intelligence models. For enterprises, higher education institutions, and research institutions renting smart computing power for large model training, funding of up to 10 million yuan will be provided, covering no more than 50% of the service contract amount, with the funding ratio for startups raised to 60%. (Responsible unit: Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology Innovation)
(3) Issue "Corpus Coupons." Annually issue up to 50 million yuan in "Corpus Coupons" to promote the open sharing and trading of corpora, facilitating the construction of the data element market. For enterprises purchasing unrelated party corpora for large model research and application through data trading platforms, funding of up to 2 million yuan will be provided, covering no more than 30% of the contract amount. Support enterprises in opening corpora through public data open platforms, providing up to 1 million yuan rewards to each data source unit based on the annual sharing usage of qualifying open corpora. (Responsible unit: Municipal Bureau of Government Affairs and Data)
2. Deepen the empowerment of artificial intelligence across various industries
(4) Issue "Model Coupons." Annually issue up to 100 million yuan in "Model Coupons" to reduce the application costs of artificial intelligence models. For enterprises utilizing generative artificial intelligence models registered with the National Internet Information Office to provide model services, develop intelligent applications, etc., reaching a certain scale and achieving good results, funding of up to 2 million yuan will be provided, covering no more than 30% of the model purchase costs. (Responsible unit: Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology)
(5) Support the application of artificial intelligence in various industries. Invest up to 100 million yuan annually to promote the empowerment of artificial intelligence across key areas such as advanced manufacturing, modern services, and scientific research. For demonstration application projects with promotional value, funding of up to 2 million yuan will be provided, covering no more than 30% of the actual investment by the project construction entity; for benchmark application projects with significant leadership, the funding standard may be increased, with a maximum of 10 million yuan available. (Responsible unit: Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology)
(6) Accelerate the opening of government application scenarios. Invest up to 50 million yuan annually to promote the opening of urban governance and public service scenarios, supporting the development of artificial intelligence applications based on open scenarios. Focusing on key areas such as government services, education, healthcare, transportation, meteorology, economic operation, public safety, and ecological protection, at least 50 application scenarios will be opened each year, integrating industry resources and high-quality data, encouraging enterprises to develop artificial intelligence products based on scenario needs, and forming replicable and promotable solutions. For artificial intelligence products that are proven feasible and put into use in actual scenarios, funding of up to 5 million yuan will be provided to the developing enterprise based on the promotion of applications. (Responsible unit: Municipal Bureau of Government Affairs and Data)
(7) Support the application of artificial intelligence products. Support the research and promotion of smart hardware products utilizing large model technologies, such as AI computers, AI smartphones, smart wearable devices, AI virtual reality devices, fully smart products, and embodied intelligent robots. For annual best-selling products that achieve a certain sales volume, rewards of up to 3 million yuan will be provided to enterprises. (Responsible unit: Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology)
(8) Support the first commercial application of artificial intelligence software. Encourage the development, application, and promotion of artificial intelligence software, promoting its large-scale application as a productivity tool. For artificial intelligence software with independent intellectual property rights, advanced technology, and that has achieved its first commercial application, funding of up to 10 million yuan will be provided to the software developer. (Responsible unit: Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology)
3. Enhance source innovation capability
(9) Increase support for basic research and technological breakthroughs. Invest up to 300 million yuan annually, focusing on cutting-edge areas such as the mathematical principles, infrastructure, and core algorithms of artificial intelligence, as well as key fields like embodied intelligence, autonomous driving, and artificial intelligence chips, to conduct basic research and technological breakthroughs. Major projects, key projects, and general projects in basic research will receive funding of up to 10 million yuan, 3 million yuan, and 600,000 yuan, respectively. For major science and technology special projects and "ranking system" projects in artificial intelligence, funding of up to 30 million yuan will be provided, covering no more than 50% of the project investment amount. (Responsible units: Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology Innovation, Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Development and Reform Commission)
(10) Accelerate the cultivation of domestic artificial intelligence ecology. Support the construction of domestic artificial intelligence ecological source innovation centers, providing model application migration and adaptation services based on domestic artificial intelligence core technologies and toolchains, cultivating a fully self-controlled artificial intelligence ecological system. For eligible innovation centers, the municipal and district governments will jointly provide funding of up to 50% of the costs incurred by enterprises for implementing model application migration and adaptation services, with a maximum of 3 million yuan per enterprise. (Responsible units: Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, relevant district governments)
(11) Encourage open-source artificial intelligence software. Support enterprises and related institutions in open-sourcing artificial intelligence computing platforms, programming models, and integrated development tools to form a leading open-source foundation for artificial intelligence. Support the construction of third-party operator libraries, pre-trained models, model agents, and other open-source software, with rewards of up to 1 million yuan provided to open-source entities based on download volume, performance, and industry influence. (Responsible unit: Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology)
(12) Build public technology service platforms. Support the construction of open innovation platforms, open-source communities, evaluation and adaptation centers, innovation centers, and other public technology service platforms in the field of artificial intelligence, configuring general model libraries and other upstream and downstream resources of the industry chain for open sharing. For new platforms that meet the criteria, funding of up to 20 million yuan will be provided, covering no more than 50% of the total investment approved for the project; for existing platforms that meet the criteria, funding of up to 500,000 yuan will be provided, covering no more than 30% of the last year's approved operating costs. For those successfully applying for the national industry innovation center, matching support of up to 1:1 may be provided according to relevant requirements. (Responsible units: Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Development and Reform Commission)
(13) Build key laboratories for artificial intelligence. Encourage universities, research institutes, and enterprises to establish key laboratories in the field of artificial intelligence, promoting source innovation for large models and joint research and development of application scenarios. For approved municipal key laboratories, funding of up to 5 million yuan will be provided for each. For established municipal key laboratories, a periodic evaluation will be conducted every three years, with rewards of up to 3 million yuan for those rated as good or excellent. (Responsible unit: Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology Innovation)
4. Optimize the industrial development environment
(14) Promote industrial cluster development. Rely on key areas to create "zero rent" incubators, providing rent exemptions ranging from 6 months to 3 years for eligible small and micro artificial intelligence enterprises and startups, along with innovative resource services such as computing power, models, corpora, capital, and talent. Promote the construction of characteristic software parks in the field of artificial intelligence, gathering upstream and downstream enterprises of the artificial intelligence industry chain, with rewards of 2 million yuan provided to the operating entity of recognized parks and 500,000 yuan for parks rated as excellent. (Responsible units: Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Qianhai Administration, governments of various districts (new districts, Shenzhen-Shantou Special Cooperation Zone Management Committee))
(15) Support artificial intelligence innovation and entrepreneurship. Encourage high-level talent teams from home and abroad to innovate and start businesses in Shenzhen, providing funding support for core teams with significant technical capabilities after review. For top talents in the field of artificial intelligence, a comprehensive "policy package" will be provided, including career platforms, research funding, team support, and living security. Support artificial intelligence talents who studied abroad to start businesses in Shenzhen, offering one-time entrepreneurial funding of 1 million yuan, 500,000 yuan, and 300,000 yuan for enterprises registered within 6 to 48 months. (Responsible units: Municipal Talent Work Bureau, Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology Innovation, Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology)
(16) Strengthen the training of artificial intelligence talents. Empower interdisciplinary integration with artificial intelligence, supporting the construction of world-class advantageous disciplines in artificial intelligence with Chinese characteristics, providing funding for discipline construction. Cultivate a high-quality team of artificial intelligence teachers, prioritizing support for the recruitment of specially appointed talents in artificial intelligence at universities. Implement the "Industry Large Model + Industry-University-Research" joint training program between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, focusing on training artificial intelligence engineers and product managers. Support enterprises in leading the construction of training bases for artificial intelligence talents, jointly cultivating high-quality talents with universities. (Responsible units: Municipal Education Bureau, Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology Innovation, Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau)
(17) Broaden diversified investment and financing services. Establish an artificial intelligence industry fund to gather diverse capital and build a 10 billion yuan investment ecosystem for artificial intelligence, adhering to the principles of "invest early, invest small, invest long-term, and invest in hard technology," exploring support mechanisms such as investment-subsidy linkage and investment-loan linkage to create patient capital that accompanies enterprise growth. For eligible artificial intelligence enterprises, support will be provided in the form of loan interest subsidies, guarantee fee funding, technology insurance funding, and intellectual property financing interest subsidies to reduce financing costs. Encourage financial institutions to provide low-interest loans to artificial intelligence enterprises. (Responsible units: Municipal Finance Bureau, Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology Innovation, Municipal Market Supervision Bureau, Municipal Local Financial Supervision Bureau, governments of various districts (new districts, Shenzhen-Shantou Special Cooperation Zone Management Committee))
(18) Create a high-end platform for industrial exchange. Focused on the high-quality development of artificial intelligence, create internationally influential industry exchange activities and competitions. For eligible activities, funding of up to 3 million yuan will be provided, covering no more than 50% of the total investment approved for the project. (Responsible unit: Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology)
5. Supplementary provisions
These measures cannot be enjoyed in conjunction with other similar preferential measures at the municipal level, and the relevant funding amounts are subject to the total annual limit. For projects that have received national or provincial financial support, the total funding amount from municipal finance at all levels for the same project shall not exceed the audited investment amount for that project. Each responsible unit shall timely formulate and issue implementation rules or operating procedures, clarifying the specific execution scope and procedures for the reward and subsidy clauses involved in these measures. If there are adjustments to relevant national and provincial policies and regulations during the implementation period, these measures may be adjusted accordingly. These measures shall take effect from December 18, 2024, and are valid for two years.
Key Points:
🌟 Annual funding support of up to 100 million yuan for applications in the artificial intelligence industry, with demonstration projects eligible for funding of up to 2 million yuan.
💡 Shenzhen issues "Training Coupons," "Corpus Coupons," and "Model Coupons" to reduce the costs of research and application in artificial intelligence.
🏢 Support for building key laboratories in artificial intelligence and "zero rent" incubators to optimize the industrial development environment and attract high-level talent.
