- AI, robotics and commercial space among key growth drivers
- City expands funding support for frontier technology
Shanghai is targeting a 50% increase in the economic output of its strategic emerging industries over the next five years, as the city looks to strengthen its position in semiconductors, AI, biotech and other technology sectors.
The municipal government said August 26 that the sector’s added value is expected to reach 2.1 trillion yuan ($312 billion) by 2030, up from 1.4 trillion yuan in 2025.
The plan sets out priorities ranging from established industries such as integrated circuits and biomedicine to newer areas including robotics, commercial spaceflight and low-altitude aviation.
Three established industries lead the push
The plan identifies integrated circuits, biomedicine and artificial intelligence as Shanghai’s three leading industries.
Manufacturing output from these sectors is expected to grow by more than 10% a year through 2030.
In semiconductors, Shanghai will focus on high-end chip design, advanced packaging and new chip architectures, including three-dimensional stacking technologies.
AI development will center on a broader ecosystem spanning chips, models and cloud computing. The city also plans to support research into the algorithms needed for humanoid robots and build a research platform for general-purpose AI.
In biomedicine, Shanghai will promote the use of AI in drug discovery and support the development of advanced medical equipment, including compact proton therapy systems and flexible surgical robots.
Robotics and spaceflight move into the next tier
The plan names 12 emerging industries for faster growth, including smart connected vehicles, intelligent robots, commercial spaceflight, satellite internet, smart consumer devices and low-altitude aviation.
Shanghai plans to expand the use of robots in manufacturing, healthcare and logistics, while developing an advanced autonomous-driving demonstration zone.
The city will also accelerate deployment of the Qianfan low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation, a Chinese project aimed at building a large-scale satellite internet network.
Alongside these commercial sectors, Shanghai will begin laying the groundwork for technologies that are still at an earlier stage, including quantum technology, brain-computer interfaces, nuclear fusion, 6G, neuromorphic intelligence, fourth-generation semiconductors, biomanufacturing and green fuels.
More funding for tech companies
The plan also calls for greater use of government-backed funds to channel capital into technology companies, including through the Yangtze River Delta venture-capital fund and three funds dedicated to the city’s leading industries.
Shanghai will provide support ranging from financing and IPO preparation to technology lending. Five industrial clusters, including Zhangjiang, the Lingang New Area and Grand NeoBay (大零号湾), will receive more targeted support.
For international investors, the plan offers a relatively clear picture of where Shanghai expects its next wave of industrial growth to come from.
Rather than betting on a single technology, the city is building a portfolio that spans commercially established sectors such as semiconductors and biomedicine, fast-growing industries such as robotics and commercial spaceflight, and longer-term bets including quantum computing and fusion.
The 2.1 trillion-yuan target also underscores the scale of Shanghai’s ambition: strategic emerging industries are expected to account for more than half of the city’s above-scale industrial output by 2030.
Header image source: National Cancer Institute/Unsplash
