With 30 zones now in operation, the initiative is reshaping the province’s industrial landscape.
The new zones will focus on AI, brain-inspired science, humanoid robotics, and sustainable energy.
Zhejiang has announced the addition of eight new Future Industry Pilot Zones, marking a key step in the region’s efforts to future-proof its position in emerging sectors like brain-inspired intelligence, humanoid robotics, and quantum technology.
With 30 zones now in operation and another 18 under development, the initiative is part of a provincial strategy aimed at propelling the region’s technological development through government-backed funding and access to investment funds to the tune of over 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion).
The pilot zones, located across 11 of the province’s cities and 45 counties, have been designed to serve as specialized platforms for the cultivation of advanced technologies.
Key areas of focus include brain-machine interfaces, bio-manufacturing, low-altitude economy, AI computing, and solid-state battery, each poised to be a major driver of innovation and new industrial capabilities for the prosperous region.
According to the Zhejiang Provincial Economic and Information Technology Department, these zones are not only meant to advance technological innovation but also to foster new types of productive forces that will reshape the province’s economic landscape.
Zhejiang has been a pioneer in this area, conducting feasibility studies for the development of future industries as early as 2020. Three years later, it rolled out a guidance on developing high-tech segments such as quantum computing and private space launch.
This framework largely aligns with the national “15th Five-Year Plan,” which identifies six key sectors such as quantum technology, synthetic biology, hydrogen energy and nuclear fusion, brain-machine interface, embodied intelligence and 6G communication as future pillars of economic growth.
Zhejiang’s early investment has already yielded results. In the city of Jiaxing, the pilot zone dedicated to hydrogen energy has facilitated large-scale application of hydrogen fuel cell trucks at local ports, making it one of the first pilot projects for green and low-carbon transportation in China.
Similarly, in Hangzhou’s Binjiang District, the humanoid robotics pilot zone is playing a key role in advancing the development of robotic technologies, supporting Unitree’s growth as it builds a trial base for embodied intelligence applications.
