Shanghai eyes global tech glory

After burnishing its credentials as a hub for finance and shipping, Shanghai is looking to be the primary global destination for science and technology efforts, according to a municipal government guideline.

Visitors view a Nio eT Preview car during the 18th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 16, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

To bolster that goal, the city will promote the construction of a national science center and develop several key industries including integrated circuits, biomedicine and artificial intelligence, authorities said during a news briefing on Shanghai's high-quality growth on April 10.

The Zhangjiang Comprehensive National Science Center is being designed to focus on integrated circuits and life sciences, according to internal documents. The center, located in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, will also be responsible for devising major science and technology infrastructure, such as hard X-rays, ultra-intense and ultrashort pulse lasers, and other photon science-related technologies.

Chen Yujun, head of the strategy department of Shanghai Huahong Integrated Circuit Co Ltd, said the city's rich industrial resources have helped make it one of the world's most comprehensive chip clusters.

"We have seen the mushrooming of 239 chip design companies, nine water fabrication foundries and a number of world-leading integrated circuit packaging firms in Shanghai's Zhangjiang Science City," he said.

"We cannot afford to have a stranglehold on strategically critical industries and miss the window of opportunity to gain an edge in many of these critical application scenarios."

By the end of 2018, 441 foreign-invested companies have established research and development centers in Shanghai, including a series of open-innovation initiatives like Johnson & Johnson's JLABS, where innovation finds its root through local knowledge and partnerships.