CHARACTERISTI LIFT PILLAR IN
Two internet of things-focused areas to lead in display, conce
Aloft in a spring breeze of rapid urbanization and economic growth, Wuxi in Jiangsu province, one of the birthplaces of China’s modern industry and commerce, has taken the lead in the internet of things.
By the end of 2016, Wuxi had attracted 2,000 IoT enterprises, realized revenue of 210 billion yuan ($32 billion) in related businesses, maintained a steady 30 percent average annual growth rate, implemented over 200 IoT application projects, and created more than 150,000 related jobs.
Hongshan, the city’s southeast corner focused on the IoT industry, is a trump card the government played following the World Internet of Things Exposition held in Wuxi last November.
It is located in Xinwu district, a prime area of the Yangtze River Delta. Not only does it have convenient traffic access and abundant natural resources, it also neighbors the city’s talent pool of creative minds working in digital sensors and information services. The district’s technology and information bureau indicates that there are now more than 1,000 IoT companies in Xinwu, producing an estimated 110 billion yuan or more in economic output per year.
Aware of the rise of Xinwu’s sensor network sector and the enormous potential of the IoT industry, the Xinwu government founded a 3.6-square-kilometer IoT town as a test field in Hongshan last Novermber, the first of its kind in China.
A number of giant companies such as Alibaba Group, Huawei, Siemens and China Mobile have committed to launching IoT-related branches in the town, and, in the future, will play leading roles in technological applications, according to Yuan Jinxiang, chairman of China Wu Culture Expo Park Construction and Development Company, the town’s main operator.
“These companies come with their abundant resources and powerful impacts, which I think is good to attract businesses,” Yuan said.
The two IoT towns will be the two wings lifting Wuxi’s IoT industry.”
the mayor of Wuxi
According to initial planning, the IoT town will first develop intelligent systems for tourism, medical care, education and transportation.
“Supporting facilities, including a hospital, a school, a commercial center and an ocean park are under construction,” said Yuan, adding that “to highlight the IoT industry, technologies like facial recognition and real-time transmission will be used to facilitate life.”
“By integrating various resources, the town will be a pilot zone for IoT technologies, as well as a hub for innovative projects and professionals,” Liu Yan, deputy director of the