THE Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area — known as E-Town — is targeting a position as a globally influential AI hub capable of generating 200 billion yuan (US$29.6 billion) in core AI industry output by 2030, according to Kong Lei, Communist Party of China secretary of the development zone.

Rather than focusing solely on cultivating AI companies, the area plans to embed artificial intelligence across industries, infrastructure and urban governance through its “AI+” initiative, positioning AI as a key driver of both economic growth and city management.

“In the AI era, competition is no longer about a single technology,” Kong said. “It involves the entire value chain, including foundational capabilities, critical hardware, essential software, core data resources, application ecosystems and governance capacity.”

He emphasized that the area is determined to seize what it sees as a strategic opportunity created by AI to reshape technological innovation, industrial development and regional competitiveness.

E-Town generated a GDP of 401.2 billion yuan in 2025, with an average annual growth rate of 12.1%. Although it accounts for just 1.37% of Beijing’s land area, it contributed roughly 40% of the capital’s industrial added value, Kong noted.

To back up its ambitions, E-Town is strengthening both its frontier research and industrial infrastructure. Since the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), it has accelerated research into next-generation technologies, promoting the integration of AI with quantum science, 6G communications and space technologies.

Semiconductors are another strategic focus. Leveraging its well-established integrated circuit industry, E-Town is building a complete ecosystem that spans chip design, manufacturing, packaging, testing and computing power, while expanding into emerging fields such as scenario-defined and industry-specific AI chips.(SD-Agencies)