Zhangjiang breathing new life among startup firms
DGene displays its innovative products at its headquarters in Zhangjiang.
DGene, a startup based in Zhangjiang, is showcasing a number of AI-powered inventions at its headquarters in the Pudong New Area, Shanghai. They include parking lot navigation services, digital avatars with human gestures, and the world's first large AI model for sign language.
The local tech startup, which was founded in 2016, intends to integrate people's daily lives with numerous technological innovations.
According to the company's CEO, Zhang Zhaohua, DGene is rapidly expanding with a friendly environment for entrepreneurs in the country.
"It (Zhangjiang) provides startup incubation, talent and financing," Zhang said. "It's China's top innovation zone, and it's as good as the entrepreneurial atmosphere in Silicon Valley."
In particular, the sign language model will enable millions of disabled people who are unable to speak or hear to communicate with the general public.
The 3D modeling and avatar production technologies will enable ordinary customers to complete 3D content creations "in seconds," allowing cities to easily construct digital twin applications and even metaverses.
A digital avatar created with DGene's technologies.
More hardcore innovations and applications will be displayed during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2023, which will be held next month in Shanghai.
According to DGene, they will be showcased at exhibition halls in Pudong.
DGene, which was incubated at ShanghaiTech University, highlights Zhangjiang's attempts to create an innovation zone with a complete and lively ecosystem encompassing incubation, investment, talent and IPO, or initial public offering, and promoting the city's digitization and fuel economy development.
Shanghai's Zhangjiang, with main sectors such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine and integrated circuits, is frequently referred to as China's Silicon Valley.
Chips are displayed in the halls of the 895 Incubator in Zhangjiang.
The 895 Incubator, which is operated by the Zhangjiang Industry Park, is the city's largest incubator, with a total size of 73,000 square meters, 238 enterprises and an estimated market value of 15.8 billion yuan (US$2.22 billion). It has nurtured 1,400 businesses since its inception eight years ago.
The name 895 is derived from the Shanghai-listed Zhangjiang High-Tech stock code 600895. But Chen Hailing, the incubator's director, has her own perspective on it.
"It also means that anyone, whether they were born in 1980s, 1990s, or after 1995, is welcome to begin his or her business journey," Chen told Shanghai Daily.
She went on to say that the incubator is intended to accurately link industry resources, encourage the transformation of achievements, foster creative firms, integrate into the industrial chain, and improve the ecosystem.
A smart driving display and demo in the incubator
Various applications and innovations, such as undersea robots, automotive chips, and a screen to display smart driving capabilities, are displayed in the incubator's exhibition hall.
It is consistent with Shanghai's long-term plan to develop three strategic industries: artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and chips. In the near future, it hopes to become a global digital hub.
In China, AI is a vital growth engine for the growth of the digital economy and a game changer in people's daily lives, particularly with sophisticated generative AI like ChatGPT.
China's AI market spending is estimated to reach US$14.7 billion in 2023, accounting for roughly one-tenth of the worldwide total.
According to researcher International Data Corp, or IDC, China's spending would reach US$26.4 billion in 2026, with an average annual growth rate of more than 20 percent.
It said AIGC, digital avatars, multi-format (such as text-to-image/video), AI large models, and smart decision-making are trending innovations in the Chinese AI market.
Since 2019, the incubator has organized classified industrial roadshows to link entrepreneurs and investors, with topics ranging from integrated circuits to automotive and health care, with the most recent one focused on the aerospace sector.
Zhangjiang is speeding up incubators' development to boost innovation.
So far, three startups from the 895 incubator have launched initial public offerings on major capital markets, including the Shanghai STAR Market and the Nasdaq. Approximately nine companies are planning to list their shares for the first time.
Xinze Incubator is a smaller and more focused incubator that features integrated circuit and biomedicine businesses. It now manages two investment funds with a total of 400 million yuan.
The company bills itself as a "family doctor" for startups, providing services in the areas of office, fund, talent and IPO.
Qu Yi, Xinze's chairwoman, is eager to assist scientists in translating laboratory findings into commercially viable products and services.
