The Urumqi High-Tech Industrial Zone was established in August 1992. It became the first state high-tech industrial zone in Xinjiang with the State Council’s approval in November 1992.

Since its establishment, the high-tech zone aims to develop high-techs and realize industrialization. It dedicates itself to the fostering of high-tech enterprises. The Urumqi High-Tech Industrial Zone has persistently advanced the progress of new-type industrialization.

In the past two decades, it has evolved a pattern consisting of central business districts (CBD), a Torch Pioneering Park, a North-district Industrial Park, a Ganquanbao Industrial Park and external parks. Meanwhile, it has become a concentration area of resources such as enterprises, talents, capital and technology. It has been recognized as a national innovation base for rejuvenating trade through science and technology. It is a high-tech industrialization base for photovoltaic power generation equipment, an industrialization base for the modern service industry, a demonstration base for new-type industrialization (electronic information and PV power generation), a pilot park for intellectual property, a pioneering park for overseas students, and a pilot area for Xinjiang talent management reform.

The Urumqi High-Tech Industrial Zone was incorporated and brought under the administration of New District on January 2, 2011.Though the industrial zone lies in the New district, it is still operated with the name of the High-tech District. Anningqu town, Qinggedahu township, and Liushihu township were merged into the district in March 2011. The expanded High-tech District (New District) occupies an area of more than 300 square kilometers, and has a population of over 800,000.

Within the jurisdiction of the district, there is one town, four townships, 23 administrative villages, 13 blocks, and 97 neighborhood committees. Thirty-eight nationalities including Han, Uyghur and Hui live in the district.

In the district, there are over 20 research institutes, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences Xinjiang Branch, Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, 33 colleges and universities, such as the Xinjiang Medical University and Xinjiang University of Finance & Economies. There are also over 8,000 enterprises with independent legal entities; of which, there are 43 enterprises run on the list of top 500 enterprises at home and abroad, 25 listed companies, and 46 foreign-invested enterprises. The high-tech enterprises in the district account for more than 40 percent in Xinjiang, and nearly 70 percent in Urumqi. With rapid implementation of Urumqi’s strategy of northward expansion, the local advantage will be further enhanced and the district will become a sub-center for future development of Urumqi.

Taking advantage of the unprecedented historical development opportunity for Xinjiang by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the High-tech District (New District) will take the system and public administration of the New District into account.

According to its aim of "becoming an economically strong area, and constructing a new town for the capital city", the high-tech industrial zone plans to build a strong district in the science and technology industry, in trade and commerce, and in ecological demonstrations. The high-tech industrial zone will accelerate the construction of the downtown area, northern part of the city and Ganquanbao area. It will make strenuous efforts to build four business platforms, including the North-district Industrial Park, Ganquanbao Industrial Park, Torch Pioneering Park, and Xinda Science Park.

Moreover, the Urumqi high-tech industrial zone will endeavor to make breakthroughs in restructuring, in their investment invitation, park construction and headquarters base. It will strengthen the six pillar industries of new energy, new materials, biomedicine, equipment manufacture, coal electricity and coal chemical industry, and the modern service industry. The zone hopes to accelerate the expansion of the new district and to successfully grow.