Shanghai to double down on open-source projects amid push for AI, chip self-sufficiency
Shanghai is headquarters for AI model developers MiniMax and SenseTime, as well as AI chip developers such as Biren Technology and Enflame
Shanghai, China’s financial and tech hub, is aiming to foster over 200 open-source projects over the next two years as part of the city’s ambitious road map to build a world-class ecosystem amid the heated AI race with the US.
By 2027, the city would see the establishment of one to two “internationally influential open-source communities”, along with 100 companies focused on related technologies and over 200 high-quality open-source projects, according to an action plan unveiled on Thursday by the Shanghai municipal government.
The total number of developers involved in the open-source communities is expected to reach over three million by that time, it added.
Several frontier sectors – including AI, intelligent chips and high-end software – would become major areas of focus for the initiative. The city also planned to launch China’s first open-source platform targeting overseas markets next year.
The ambitious plan was put forward by a few municipal agencies, led by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, the body in charge of boosting technology development in the city.
The initiative, which aims to make Shanghai “a nationally competitive source and development hub for open-source innovation”, reflects how the city is positioning itself as the vanguard of China’s push for tech self-reliance.