Foshan has launched two industry funds with a total capital of at least US$488 million, which will be “professionally managed” by professional institutes in the robotics industry.
Foshan, located in southern Guangdong Province, is a hub for furniture and ceramics production in China. The city has launched a number of initiatives to support robotics, the latest example of local government support for strategically important industries.
Foshan Vice Mayor Liu Jie said at a press conference in Foshan on Tuesday that Foshan, a city in the Greater Bay Area, has set up two industrial funds totaling at least 3.5 billion yuan (US$488 million) to “professionally manage” the robotics industry.
According to a press release published on Tuesday, the local financial administration will allocate at least 150 million yuan annually to support research and development, with each “key technological breakthrough project” eligible for funding of up to 50 million yuan. These funds will be used for the research and development of key components such as controllers, sensors, high-performance motors, lightweight materials, and robotic bionic skin.
These measures also include “computing power vouchers” that cover 30% of the cost of renting computing power for model training and inference, with each company eligible to receive up to 500,000 yuan per year.
The city government will also allocate up to 500,000 yuan annually to subsidize schools, institutions and enterprises to train highly skilled workers and industrial designers in the field of artificial intelligence applications.
On Tuesday, the “AI and Intelligent Robot Alliance” was established in Foshan. Its members include German robot manufacturer KUKA (acquired by Foshan Midea in 2016), Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., and home appliance manufacturer Hisense. The alliance is led by Huashu Robotics, a robot manufacturer based in Foshan.
Post time: Dec-05-2025
