In the early morning light, the iconic "Horseshoe" building in China's Optics Valley, Wuhan, Hubei, gleams with a metallic sheen. Nearby, engineers at the Wuhan Institute of Artificial Intelligence are fine-tuning the latest industry applications for the "Zidong Taichu 4.0" large model. This multimodal model, co-developed by the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Wuhan Institute of AI, has already achieved a welding precision of 0.02mm at Huagong Tech and supports the intelligent management of tens of thousands of medical devices at Jointown.
Dozens of kilometers away, in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone, known as "China's Motor Valley," hundreds of industrial robots in the Voyah Cloud Peak Factory operate with precision under the command of an intelligent production scheduling system. Intelligent connected vehicles roll off the production line... From "Optics Valley" to "Motor Valley," from "Network Valley" to "Star Valley" and "Pharma Valley," a powerful wave of digital and intelligent transformation is surging along the banks of the Yangtze River in Wuhan.
Building a Robust Industrial Foundation
The competition in the digital and intelligent economy ultimately hinges on industrial foundations and core technologies. Wuhan's confidence stems from the solid industrial base cultivated over decades.
Currently, the East Lake High-tech Development Zone is home to 16,000 optoelectronic information enterprises. Represented by seven major players including Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., Ltd., Yangtze River Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (YOFC), Huagong Tech Co., Ltd., Accelink Technologies Co., Ltd., FiberHome Telecommunication Technologies Co., Ltd., Guide Infrared Co., Ltd., and CICT Mobile Communications Technology Co., Ltd., a complete industrial chain covering optoelectronics has risen to prominence.
In the storage chip sector, Yangtze Memory's self-developed "Xtacking" architecture has iterated to version 4.0, continuously climbing the value chain. In optical communications, FiberHome's market value has exceeded 100 billion yuan, forming a leading group with Huagong Tech, YOFC, and Accelink. This March, YOFC globally launched HollowBand hollow-core fiber, achieving a world-leading position in this field through its self-developed, mass-produced, and deliverable key raw materials.
In the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone, domestically produced humanoid robots are entering the assembly workshop of M-Hero Automobile. Identifying material bins, grasping components, and placing them accurately onto AGV platforms—these are not just demonstration moves. They face real racks, workstations, and logistics rhythms. Their true test lies in the workshop's ability to see accurately, grasp steadily, and keep pace.
Zhou Benlu, Manufacturing Management Director at M-Hero, explained that the company, in collaboration with Huazhong University of Science and Technology, has deployed self-developed domestic humanoid robots on the production line. These are precisely adapted to M-Hero's customized production model for high-end new energy off-road vehicles, characterized by small batches, multiple varieties, and rapid changeovers, effectively solving the pain points of mass-producing high-end personalized products. Through continuous algorithm optimization and on-site iteration, the robots' operational accuracy, efficiency, and stability have steadily improved, reaching industry-leading levels.
In the first half of this year, new energy vehicle production in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone is expected to exceed 190,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 17%, accounting for over 57% of total vehicle output. Simultaneously, the zone has built the country's largest 5G vehicle-road cooperative autonomous driving demonstration area, covering over a hundred application scenarios.
"Data, as a key production factor in the era of the digital and intelligent economy, has become an important engine empowering the development of new quality productive forces," said Wang Shuo, Party Secretary and Director of the Wuhan Municipal Data Bureau. The bureau is promoting the development of a "data flywheel" model, where "scenarios drive data, data drives models, models empower applications, and applications create value," propelling the data industry forward.
"Taking public data as an example, Wuhan has built an integrated digital resource management system, cumulatively releasing over 16,000 data catalogs and aggregating over 18 billion data entries, supporting 130 application scenarios such as 'efficiently handling matters' and 'integrated network management.' In the first half of this year, Wuhan held two high-quality dataset supply-demand matching events, facilitating cooperation between 23 entities, with a total value nearing 70 million yuan," Wang Shuo added.
Computing power is known as the "engine" of the digital and intelligent economy. It is understood that Wuhan has currently built 8 intelligent computing centers and 1 supercomputing center. A computing power matrix featuring the coordinated development of "general computing + intelligent computing + supercomputing + edge computing" is taking shape, with high-performance computing power approaching 6500 Petaflops. Meanwhile, 300 kilometers away, the surging green power from the Yichang Three Gorges Dongyuemiao facility is "joining hands" with Wuhan's powerful computing resources. The "Han-Shu-Yi-Suan" project sends high-energy-consumption computing demands westward to Yichang, allowing clean hydropower to "charge" AI training, reducing both costs and carbon emissions.
Statistics show that in the first quarter of this year, the total scale of industries related to the digital and intelligent economy in Wuhan exceeded 250 billion yuan. Within this, the output value of the electronic information manufacturing industry reached 115.2 billion yuan, and the scale of the artificial intelligence industry reached 38 billion yuan, both achieving year-on-year growth of over 30%.
A solid industrial foundation and leading computing power support are jointly forging the robust framework of Wuhan's digital and intelligent economy.
Empowering Diverse Industries with Digital and Intelligent Technology
How can industrial advantages be transformed into developmental successes? Wuhan's answer is to promote the empowerment of thousands of industries with digital and intelligent technology, advancing production methods from digitalization to intelligence.
In the manufacturing sector, digital and intelligent transformation is undergoing a qualitative change. The Wuhan factory of Schneider Electric SE has increased automation by 55% and expanded its product portfolio by 239%. The Wuhan factory for Xiaomi Corporation's smart home appliances has achieved autonomous equipment decision-making—an air conditioner rolls off the line every 6.5 seconds, with unmanned workshops operating 24/7. The "lighthouse" effect of leading enterprises is accelerating its transmission downstream through the supply chain. In the national pilot program for digital transformation in small and medium-sized enterprises, Wuhan has helped 601 SMEs elevate their digitalization level to Level 2 or above.
Traditional industries like steel and textiles are actively embracing digital and intelligent change. Wuhan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd., in collaboration with Soochow University, has equipped a blast furnace with an AI "clairvoyant eye"—a furnace visual intelligent perception and diagnosis system. This system controls the identification error for tapping and slagging times within 0.5 minutes and the identification error for tap hole depth to less than 0.1 meters. After deployment, the monthly output of molten iron from Blast Furnace No. 5 increased by 0.4% to 0.5%.
Beyond traditional industries, the deep integration of Wuhan's two pillar industries—optoelectronics and automobiles—is opening a digital and intelligent chapter in the collaboration between the world's Optics Valley and China's Motor Valley.
In January 2026, the East Lake High-tech Development Zone, Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone, together with Dongfeng Motor Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., and China Information and Communication Technologies Group Corporation (CICT), jointly initiated the "Optics-Vehicle Integration" proposal. "The automotive industry is a typical flagship industry for integrated development," said Zhang Yongwei, Chairman of the Research Institute at the China EV100. "Deeply coupling external technologies like communications, optoelectronics, and artificial intelligence into vehicles to achieve a '1+1>2' effect has become a crucial path for China's automotive industry to surpass and lead."
New emerging industry tracks are also reporting frequent successes. From January to May 2026, Hubei's exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 148.79 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 23.6%. During the same period, Wuhan's "new three" exports—integrated circuits, lithium batteries, and electric vehicles—grew by 284.6%, 245.9%, and 204.5%, respectively. Duan Yongqiang, head of the Legal and Comprehensive Division at Wuhan Customs, stated, "Overseas market demand for AI-related products has directly driven the export growth of Wuhan's related high-value-added products, becoming an important engine for boosting provincial export growth. Some customs offices have also piloted a series of measures including intelligent assisted declaration, AI agent document review, and intelligent visa issuance to facilitate the rapid export of related products."
Manufacturing is the ballast stone and also the source of resilience for the digital and intelligent economy. Wuhan's industrial depth provides fertile ground for digital and intelligent technologies to move from "showcasing skills" to "practical application"—the rigid demand from thousands of industries forms a solid market for the digital and intelligent economy.
Constructing an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem
The flourishing growth of the digital and intelligent economy is inseparable from fertile soil.
Wuhan boasts over 90 universities, 33 of which have established artificial intelligence schools. In global rankings for high-output, highly cited AI scientists, Wuhan ranks sixth.
"Wuhan's greatest advantage lies in the convergence of three endowments: education/science, industry, and application scenarios," said Fang Chao, Professor at the School of Management, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Executive Dean & Chief Scientist of the Beijing E-Town AI Research Institute. These three correspond precisely to the innovation source, application carrier, and validation environment for the digital and intelligent economy, a combination that is rare nationwide.
Wuhan is translating this rare combination into tangible competitive advantages.
Policy leads the way, with top-level design anchoring the direction. The "Wuhan Digital and Intelligent Economy Development Three-Year Action Plan (2026-2028)" outlines eight key projects and establishes a strategic path of "three transformations and one extension"—the development stage shifts from "Internet+" to "AI+," the driving force shifts from digital empowerment to digital-intelligent drive, the development model shifts from typical demonstrations to thousands of industries, and the development focus extends from industrial breakthroughs to people's livelihood and governance.
Scenarios serve as the牵引力, helping technology find its "battlefield." To date, Wuhan has released 103 typical AI application scenarios, covering eight major fields including intelligent manufacturing, smart healthcare, and intelligent connected vehicles.
Finance provides empowerment, offering capital support for innovation. In the first quarter of this year, Wuhan established 9 venture capital funds and 9 industrial funds for the digital and intelligent economy, with scales reaching 4 billion yuan and 13.1 billion yuan, respectively. A fund matrix covering the entire cycle from "seed—startup—growth—maturity" is accelerating its formation.
Platforms gather, making the innovation magnet attractive to those near and far. On June 16, the "Han-Shu-Tong" Data Service Center officially commenced operations, offering one-stop services for enterprises to "find data, find scenarios, find funding, find computing power, and find partners," creating an online data marketplace. Gui Yuping, Party Secretary and Chairman of Wuhan Data Group, stated that by 2028, the goal is for the "Han-Shu-Tong" platform to connect with 3,000 market entities, list 5,000 data products, and create over 300 application scenarios.
Simultaneously, from artificial intelligence to agent-based economy, from the digital economy to international technology cooperation, a series of high-level summits and forums are being held here, pushing Wuhan into the spotlight of the digital and intelligent economy and accelerating the fusion and synergy of various innovative elements through碰撞.
"In March this year, Wuhan successfully secured approval as one of the first pilot cities for national data industry cluster development," said Chen Debing, Party Member and Director of the Wuhan Municipal Information Center. "Through the three-year pilot, we aim to achieve the following by 2028: over 10,000 data enterprises in Wuhan, 1,200 large-scale data enterprises, 2,500 open datasets, the formation of no less than 5,000 data resource catalogs, 2,000 listed and tradable data products, and dual improvements in industrial scale and comprehensive strength."
Wuhan, the city historically known for steel and as a hub of nine provinces, is now riding the wave of "digital" advancement and striving for "intelligent" strength. With the courage and魄力for a "dimensional leap," it is forging a new industrial framework on the map of the digital and intelligent economy.
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