Pudong AI industry valued at over $14b

Pudong New Area, as the first AI innovation application pilot area in China, was home to about 600 artificial intelligence companies, with a total value of more than 91 billion yuan ($14.08 billion), by the end of 2020, according to the district's administration of technology and economy.

Officials said that these companies, which are involved in AI fundamentals, technology, and applications, have formed a core AI industrial chain, with broad impacts on society.

For example, VisionMind, a non-motorized vehicle management system developed by the Zhangjiang-based Supermind, is capable of capturing and recognizing the strings of numbers on the uniforms of delivery men in milliseconds if they break traffic rules, such as running red lights or not wearing helmets.

The Pudong branch of Cloudwalk, a Guangzhou-headquartered AI supplier, has used its technology to help monitor the number and distribution of naked carps, a rare species in Qinghai Lake.

In addition, Zhangjiang Artificial Intelligence Island is stepping up efforts to explore innovative application scenarios, by encouraging companies to combine and test their AI technology with the security, sanitation, and maintenance of green areas on the island.

The local administration is also planning to expand the AI industrial cluster from the current 66,000-square-meter area to 1.5 million square meters, occupying the entire central Zhangjiang Science City to ensure sufficient space for the high-quality development of the AI sector.