Intelligent sectors see major boom

By Yuan Shenggao | China Daily | Updated: 2017-12-29 07:39

Research into the world's biggest commercial unmanned aerial vehicle was recently launched in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province.

The project is expected to take two years and the resulting drones are expected to debut in 2022, said Guo Liang, chairman of Sichuan Tengden Technology Co Ltd, a local company in charge of the project. He made the announcement at a recent UAV application and development forum.

Tengden is an innovative high-tech enterprise set up by Chinese aviation experts and a State-owned investment company, making it a prime example of military-civil integration.

Chen Hong, executive vice-president of Tengden, said it plans to build a whole UAV industrial chain in the city based on its strength in electronic information and software.

Chen added that during companies' development, especially those involved in the new economy, support from the local government is of great significance.

"It can help companies to hold a leading position in the market when competing with counterparts from other regions."

The output value of Chengdu's UAV industry is expected to reach 4.2 billion yuan ($640 million) in 2017, up 20 percent year-on-year, according to statistics from the Chengdu government.

Currently, the city has 110 major UAV companies, including about 30 military and 40 private companies of a medium to large scale.

At the UAV forum, the Tianfu Intelligent Technology Research Institute, known as TIFO, announced it will settle in Jinniu district of Chengdu, with input from experts from 17 colleges and research institutions, including Harbin Engineering University and Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Lu Zikai, operations leader of TIFO, said the team consists of top-level professionals in domestic intelligent industries, including artificial intelligence, robotics, electronic engineering and material mechanics.

TIFO aims to commercialize cutting-edge technologies, cultivate innovative startups and promote the application of intelligent technologies in industrial, commercial and military fields, Lu said.

It has signed an agreement with Jinniu district, which will offer supportive policies for all of its projects.

Industrial funds of up to 9 billion yuan will be invested into the development of intelligent technologies.

The intelligent economy is one of the six forms of new economy Chengdu defined earlier this year. The city plans to construct a national scientific center and promote civil-military integration, so as to speed up development in the biological recognition, virtual reality and UAV sectors.

In early December, security service provider Venustech settled its first security operating center in Chengdu. Zhang Zhenyu, vice-president of the company, said it expects to become an important internet safety base in Southwest China, serving local efforts linked to the Belt and Road Initiative, and construction of an intelligent city, cloud platforms and artificial intelligent projects.

Zhang said internet safety is closely related to the new economy that Chengdu is emphasizing - the digital, intelligent, green, creative, data-focused and shared economy.

The company first established a presence in Chengdu more than 10 years ago, he said. He added the city is rich in professional resources in the security field, with graduates from many local IT universities.

Laboratories will be set up in Venustech's center to study big data, internet safeguarding and industrial control, to provide technological support for possible applications of intelligent city construction in Chengdu.