Guangdong has pledged to support the development of large models and application solutions in the industrial sector, selecting 10 benchmark cases at most annually for rewards of up to RMB 8 million each.

That was according to a series of measures released by the provincial government recently, which aim at accelerating innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics industries.

Under the new policy framework, the province will prioritize funding for key technological breakthroughs. For instance, manufacturing innovation centers in AI and robotics that meet national or provincial standards will receive up to RMB 50 million and RMB 10 million in financial support, respectively.

The policy also emphasizes fostering industrial clusters by encouraging collaboration between enterprises, universities, and research institutions.

For enterprises recognized at the national level as champion enterprises or "little giants" in the sector, the provincial government will match municipal rewards at a 1:1 ratio, with a maximum incentive of RMB 30 million for national champion enterprises and RMB 20 million for national "little giant" enterprises.

Provincial and municipal resources will collaboratively support advanced manufacturing projects with fixed asset investments exceeding RMB 50 million.

In addition to funding, Guangdong plans to establish itself as a global hub for AI and robotics by creating high-quality data sets and promoting data trading hubs in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The province will also invest in talent cultivation, offering incentives for universities to develop specialized programs in AI and robotics.

The measures also outline plans to improve the open-source innovation ecosystem for AI and robotics in Guangdong. The province will annually select up to five qualified open-source communities and innovation centers in this field, providing financial support of up to RMB 8 million yuan per project—capped at 30% of their verified annual operating costs from the previous year.

Focusing on the development needs and key tasks of AI and robotics industries, Guangdong will also support enterprises in introducing and nurturing a batch of innovative leading talents and young top talents who possess outstanding technological innovation capabilities and are adept at solving complex engineering and technological problems.

Guangdong is also actively advancing standard system construction. Enterprises and research institutions that lead the formulation of international, national, and industry standards for AI and robotics will receive funding support of up to RMB 500,000, RMB 300,000, and RMB 150,000 per standard, respectively.

Additionally, those undertaking secretariats for international standardization organization technical committees and national and provincial professional standardization technical committees will receive funding of up to RMB 1 million, RMB 300,000, and RMB 100,000 per committee, respectively.

To address regulatory challenges, Guangdong will explore a "regulatory sandbox" approach for AI technologies, ensuring innovation is balanced with ethical and safety standards. The policy further outlines plans to draft industry standards and promote legislation to support the sustainable growth of the sector.