Next-generation IT industry ready for takeoff

EHang's self-developed unmanned aerial vehicle system, EH216-S, has obtained certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said Hu Huazhi, the company's president.

According to the company, headquartered in Huangpu district, Guangzhou, the UAVs have a wide range of applications, covering areas such as transportation, tourism, logistics and medical emergency response.

An industrial cluster of companies such as EHang has endowed Huangpu with an edge over other districts in Guangzhou in developing the low-altitude economy. Preliminary statistics show that there are a total of 45 low-altitude industry chain enterprises in the district, with an annual output value of approximately 12.5 billion yuan ($1.71 billion). They cover the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors, involving research and development, design and raw materials, component manufacturing and integration, and application and services.

Looking at the upstream of the industry chain, it has gathered high-quality enterprises in the fields of R&D and design, such as Guangdong Zhongke Ruitai Intelligent Technology and Guangzhou Icloudstar Technology. In the field of basic software, Guangdong Ceprei Newsway Technology has been nurtured. In the semiconductor and key raw materials sectors, Huangpu houses technologically leading companies such as Mornsun.

Regarding the midstream of the industry chain, the district has attracted a group of nationally competitive enterprises in the manufacturing of key components for flight control, navigation and communication.

In the field of entire machine manufacturing, EHang is a leading intelligent unmanned aircraft technology company. In terms of system integration, Zhongke Ruitai focuses on fire protection and emergency services, forming an "emergency rescue equipment flying vehicle platform". In the field of communication products, Guangzhou Haige Communications Group has R&D and service capabilities for the entire industry chain of Beidou navigation and is a large complete machine supplier in the domestic navigation field.

Looking at the downstream of the industry chain, with the exception of EHang and another company which have conducted application demonstrations in areas such as logistics and smart city management, the district has gathered companies in the field of industrial applications and services. They specialize in data collection, surveys and inspection, after-sales maintenance, operational business and personnel training.

The district is promoting the deep integration of the low-altitude economy with things such as urban management and sightseeing.

In terms of infrastructure, one A2 helicopter airport has been completed and four vertical takeoff and landing sites have been established.

For air commuting, a test flight route has opened and one to two test flights are conducted a week. In terms of air logistics, during the pandemic period, two routes were opened to transport nucleic acid samples and basic necessities. In terms of air tourism, two routes are piloted.

Regarding smart city management, UAVs are used for urban management, monitoring road congestion, traffic law enforcement, monitoring water quality and illegal land use.

Huangpu district is seizing the opportunity to develop the low-altitude economy and plans for future industrial development. It is speeding up top-level design, planning to establish a leading group for low-altitude economy development, drawing up industrial planning, releasing special policies and formulating a work plan to promote the innovative development of the low-altitude economy.

It is optimizing the layout of the industry around the major national strategic platforms. Leveraging a helicopter industrial park project, China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City focuses on R&D, testing and validation of low-altitude aircraft. Guangzhou Science City, meanwhile, relies on new-generation information technology and intelligent manufacturing such as electronic components, sensing systems and navigation systems, with a focus on manufacturing parts, raw materials, basic software and low-altitude services.

Guangzhou Maritime Silk Road City relies on the construction of an artificial intelligence and digital economy experimental zone and innovates in key technologies such as basic software and computing algorithms. Guangzhou International Bio Island will explore applications in more fields related to smart city development.