Hangzhou unveils a national pioneer area for the innovative applications of artificial intelligence on March 30. [Photo/WeChat account: hzfbwx]

Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province unveiled a national pioneer area for the innovative applications of artificial intelligence on March 30, local media outlets reported.

According to Hangzhou's plan, the pioneer area will strive to realize AI's innovative applications in fields involving urban management, smart manufacturing, and smart financing, creating a "fountain" of digital urban governance solutions, a supplier of smart manufacturing capabilities, as well as a model in setting up data usage rules.

To realize these goals, Hangzhou will focus on innovative explorations and trying to seek integrated development, with Hangzhou West Science and Technology Innovation Corridor and Hangzhou High-Tech Zone (Binjiang) taking the lead, and China Artificial Intelligence Town, Xiaoshan Hipark Town, Xiaoshan Robot Town, Zhejiang University National Science Park, China Industrial Internet Town, as well as Inno & Entre Town playing supportive roles.

With the pioneer area, Hangzhou is expected to lead the country in AI capabilities by 2023, as well as boost the transformation and upgrading of industrial integration.

The area was unveiled at the 2021 AI Cloud World Summit, an annual event that has become a showcase platform for new AI technology and products.

Statistics show that Hangzhou is home to 523 above-designated-size AI companies, which refer to those with annual operating revenues of roughly $3.1 million or more, such as HikVision, a leading video surveillance company. The city's AI operational capabilities and total number of patents are also among the first tier in China.