As artificial intelligence becomes the core engine for fostering new quality productive forces, Nanjing's Yuhuatai District recently inaugurated the province's first district-level artificial intelligence development bureau incorporated into the Party and government agency sequence, while Wenzhou added the artificial intelligence bureau designation to its Municipal Data Bureau, with both cities simultaneously advancing to provide a "dedicated steward" for their regional AI industry development.
This initiative represents a strategic choice by both cities to seize opportunities in new quality productive forces and a pragmatic practice by the Yangtze River Delta region in responding to national strategies. In recent years, the State Council has successively issued the "New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan" and the "Opinions on Deepening the Implementation of the 'Artificial Intelligence+' Action," providing a blueprint for AI development. The establishment of bureaus in Nanjing and Wenzhou, building on their respective industrial endowments, elevates artificial intelligence to a core urban development strategy, offering stable and predictable guarantees for the industry through institutional innovation, while also providing replicable practical models for AI industry governance in the Yangtze River Delta.
Nanjing and Wenzhou have developed distinct AI development patterns. As Jiangsu's sole national AI innovation application pilot zone, Nanjing has cultivated the AI field for years, with six intelligent computing centers scheduled for operation by 2025, achieving an intelligent computing scale of 21,000 Petaflops ranking sixth nationally; 39 large models have passed the Cyberspace Administration of China's备案, accounting for 61% of the provincial total, while releasing the nation's first upgraded implementation plan for a national AI innovation application pilot zone, targeting the cultivation of over 1,000 native AI enterprises by 2027. Wenzhou leverages its traditional manufacturing strengths to drive AI empowerment across electrical, footwear, apparel, and pump valve industries, implementing 1,168 intelligent transformation projects from January to October 2025, with the China (Wenzhou) Digital Security Port aggregating over 900 AI-related enterprises, aiming to build a trillion-yuan AI industrial cluster by 2027 with total computing power exceeding 50,000 Petaflops.
The explorations by these two cities epitomize the vigorous development of the Yangtze River Delta's AI industry. The "Digital Yangtze River Delta Development Report (2025)" reveals that the delta's AI industry scale constitutes one-third of the national total, with备案large model numbers surpassing the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region for the first time, while integrated circuit production accounts for nearly half of the national output. Currently, the delta has formed a differentiated layout with Shanghai focusing on foundational capabilities, Jiangsu specializing in industrial applications, Zhejiang leading in digital scenarios, and Anhui emphasizing voice technology.
Looking ahead, Nanjing will advance five major upgrade actions to create three national highlands for AI innovation sourcing, industrial aggregation, and integrated application demonstration; Wenzhou will establish a "3412" promotion framework to drive deep AI empowerment across 12 key sectors. As local AI bureaus gradually perfect their functions, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui will further break down regional barriers, coordinate core elements like computing power, data, and talent, and address challenges such as slow commercial application, transforming artificial intelligence into a powerful driving force for the Yangtze River Delta's development.
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