Guangdong province is positioning itself as China's AI application base, according to the provincial industrial and information technology work conference held on January 20.

The province plans to advance future-oriented and strategic emerging industries while fostering world-class advanced manufacturing clusters and striving to establish itself as a national demonstration zone for new industrialization.

To this end, Guangdong will accelerate the local legislative process for AI, formulate an action plan to empower new industrialization through AI, and promote the application of general and industry-specific AI models.

In 2024, Guangdong achieved numerous milestones, including leading the nation in automobile production, with output exceeding 5.7 million vehicles, marking the eighth consecutive year of being first in this category. The province also ranked first in the scale of its medical equipment industry and industrial robot production, with over 240,000 units manufactured—holding the top spot for five consecutive years. Additionally, the digital economy in Guangdong reached a scale of 6.9 trillion yuan, maintaining its first-place ranking for eight consecutive years.

The past year saw Guangdong making significant investments in industrial projects, viewed as the “stabilizers” of industrial development. Altogether 456 key projects, with a total planned investment of 1.3 trillion yuan, exceeded their annual targets by 120%. Industrial investment grew by 6.7%, accounting for over 37% of fixed asset investment—the highest since 2007—cementing its status as the province’s largest investment sector.

In 2024, Guangdong aims to complete investments totaling 170 billion yuan in key manufacturing projects and implement capacity expansions for over 1,000 enterprises. The province will also promote the construction of 15 platforms for industrial relocation and attract more than 600 industry transfer projects throughout the year.

Guangdong has also driven industrial enterprises to upgrade their technology, equipment, and digital infrastructure. In 2024, more than 10,000 industrial enterprises underwent technical transformations and digital upgrades, with investment in industrial technology renovations rising by 11.5%—marking 24 consecutive months of double-digit growth. Investment in industrial equipment renewal increased by 17.9%, achieving a nine-year high.

The province has prioritized fostering a robust ecosystem of enterprises, enabling large, medium, and small businesses, as well as private enterprises, to flourish. In 2024, nine Guangdong-based manufacturing companies made it to the Fortune Global 500 list, while the province cultivated 53 provincial “chain leader” enterprises and added 60 new national manufacturing champions, bringing the total to 190, the highest increase nationwide.

Guangdong also added 561 new “l(fā)ittle giant” enterprises specializing in niche industries, bringing the total to 2,089—ranking second in the country. The province has cultivated over 27,000 specialized and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises, accounting for nearly one-fifth of the national total. In addition, 5,500 enterprises successfully transitioned to larger scales, with the total number of large-scale industrial enterprises reaching 73,900, representing one-seventh of the national total.

Guangdong has also strengthened its industrial innovation capabilities. It now hosts six national manufacturing innovation centers, the highest number in China, and recently received approval to establish a National Innovation Center for New Energy Storage and a National Innovation Center for Molecular Drugs.

The province also approved three new national demonstration enterprises for technological innovation and recognized 113 new provincial-level enterprise technology centers. To support industrial innovation, Guangdong established 22 public service platforms for industrial technology and cultivated over 250 pilot manufacturing projects.

The province is further modernizing its industrial system to enhance international competitiveness by developing both new industries and reinvigorating traditional ones. In 2025, Guangdong will implement new policies to support fields such as AI, new energy storage, biomedicine, intelligent sensors, and yacht manufacturing.

The added value of advanced manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing is expected to grow by 6.6% and 10.2%, respectively, accounting for 57.1% and 32.0% of the total output of large-scale industries. The province has also built eight national advanced manufacturing clusters.

AI remains a top priority for Guangdong. This year, the province plans to accelerate local legislation on AI, launch an action plan to integrate AI into industrial development, and promote both general-purpose and industry-specific AI applications to establish a national AI manufacturing application base.

Guangdong will also advance the development of embodied robots, particularly for elder care, and aims to create a trillion-yuan biomedicine industrial cluster within three years. In addition, the province will focus on developing low-altitude economic equipment, upgrading unmanned yacht manufacturing, and laying the groundwork for future industries such as biological manufacturing, quantum technology, embodied intelligence, and 6G technology.

Guangdong is also deepening industrial cooperation and international exchanges within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region. Leveraging key platforms such as Hengqin, Qianhai, Nansha, and Hetao, the province is enhancing intelligent manufacturing in the Greater Bay Area and improving services for Hong Kong and Macao.

This includes advancing collaborations in informatization, clean production, and producer services, while supporting the integrated development of key industries such as integrated circuits and traditional Chinese medicine in the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone.