Multiple regions across the country have recently introduced a new round of support policies aimed at fostering the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.
For instance, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology has officially launched a public solicitation for entities to construct high-quality datasets for AI-enabled new industrialization in 2026. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Zhangjiang Science City Administrative Committee has opened the application channel for the second-quarter Zhangjiang AI Innovation Town special voucher policy.
An analysis reveals that AI industry support policies introduced by various localities this year generally exhibit three key characteristics. First, the focus has shifted from being technology R&D-driven to being application scenario-driven. Second, support has moved from being broad-based and universal to more targeted and precise guidance. Third, these policies are increasingly emphasizing a market-oriented approach.
Experts interviewed noted that the evolution of domestic AI industry support policies reflects the stage of China's AI industry transitioning from technological breakthroughs to value realization. This evolution also provides clear guidance for enterprises in their strategic planning across different regions and sectors.
Market Orientation Intensifies
This year, focusing on the entire lifecycle development of the AI industry, many regions have introduced a series of subsidy measures. These are gradually building a "toolkit" of industrial support, including cost reduction through computing power support, tackling challenges with R&D subsidies, promoting application with scenario-based rewards, and stabilizing expectations with tax incentives.
With these tools working in concert, the commercialization of China's AI industry is accelerating. A review of local subsidy details shows that scenario application rewards and subsidies are the fastest-growing category.
Nationally, the support amount for a single project under this type of subsidy typically ranges from 1 million to 20 million yuan, with the subsidy disbursement ratio maintained between 15% and 30%. These subsidies cover various vertical application fields such as industrial manufacturing, government services, finance, and healthcare.
Notably, the application scenarios covered by these rewards and subsidies are continuously expanding. For example, the policy "Several Measures of Beijing Municipality to Support the Quality and Efficiency Improvement of Industrial Enterprises," issued in June, explicitly supports enterprises in purchasing and consuming Tokens for AI applications. Eligible enterprises will receive financial support based on their actual Token usage.
Furthermore, another notable feature of AI industry support policies this year is the shift from "broad-spectrum" support for general technologies to "precise irrigation" targeting specific vertical sectors.
Taking the AI micro-drama field as an example, the core of relevant policies lies in incentivizing the large-scale application of AI technology in content production, virtual human creation, and overseas distribution. For instance, in May, Shanghai issued "Several Measures to Accelerate the High-Quality Development of AI-Enabled Micro-Dramas in Shanghai," proposing rewards of up to 3 million yuan for outstanding micro-drama projects (including AI micro-dramas) that value content and quality equally.
Song Xiangqing, Vice President of the China Society of Commercial Economy, explained that the logic behind this shift is that as foundational AI technologies, especially large model capabilities, become increasingly mature, the core of industrial development has moved from "whether it can be done" to "where to use it and how to use it well." Consequently, policy resources are beginning to tilt towards vertical tracks with high industrial value, strong positive social externalities, and high suitability for AI technology.
It is worth noting that AI industry support policies introduced by various regions this year generally strengthen market orientation. The support method is accelerating its shift from upfront direct fund allocation to models like "rewards instead of subsidies" and "ex-post subsidies," which are deeply tied to the actual market performance of enterprises.
For example, according to the "Notice on Issuing the Implementation Guidelines for the 2026 Beijing High-Precision and Cutting-Edge Industrial Development Project Funds and SME Development Support Funds (First Batch)," high-quality solutions that are the first to apply industry-specific large models to address typical application scenario needs in key industries and are actually implemented will receive support amounting to 15% of the actual payment received for the non-hardware part of the solution. The maximum support for a single enterprise is 30 million yuan.
Fu Yifu, a special researcher at Su Shang Bank, stated that the evolution of AI industry support policies is an important indicator of the industry's maturation. Market-oriented, post-performance reward and subsidy mechanisms abandon the drawbacks of traditional subsidies, which often "emphasize project approval but neglect implementation and weak outcomes." By focusing on market payments, scenario implementation, and industrial enablement as core evaluation criteria, these mechanisms will encourage enterprises to focus more on real needs and refine high-quality solutions.
Simultaneously, targeted support for specific vertical sectors and diversified, factor-based subsidy methods can precisely match the entire chain of needs from AI technology R&D to commercial implementation, effectively activating the positive cycle between large models, application scenarios, and industry enablement.
Leveraging Policies Effectively
Currently, China's AI industry support policies are characterized by scenario focus, precision, and market orientation. This is an effective way to support the AI industry in comprehensively transitioning from the technological攻坚 stage to the value realization stage.
The latest invoice data from the State Taxation Administration shows that from January to May, sales revenue from the manufacturing of robots and intelligent in-vehicle equipment increased by 27.7% and 46.3% year-on-year, respectively, indicating a continuous improvement in the level of industrial intelligence enabled by AI.
Based on the trajectory and logic of policy evolution, experts interviewed generally believe that the subsequent evolution of AI industry support policies will show three clear directions. First, the focus of subsidies will accelerate its shift from "subsidizing technology R&D" to "supporting application scenarios." Second, policy tools will be upgraded from single financial subsidies to diversified, combined enabling measures. Third, cross-regional industrial coordination and supporting mechanisms will continue to improve and deepen.
Against the backdrop of industrial policy changes, for enterprises in the AI industry chain to seize a new round of competitive advantages, the core lies in thoroughly understanding the underlying logic of policy evolution, precisely aligning corporate development strategies with national and local policy directions, and building a multi-dimensional policy tool application system suited to their own development.
Regarding how to make good use of relevant subsidy policies, Fu Yifu noted that AI enterprises at different development stages have significant differences in resource endowments, technological maturity, and commercialization capabilities. Therefore, differentiated application paths must be adopted to maximize the marginal utility of policies.
For example, start-up micro-teams, focusing on alleviating cash flow pressure and reducing computing power costs, should prioritize applying for low-threshold, inclusive computing power, venue, and small-amount tax vouchers available in various regions, avoiding high-threshold, long-cycle major projects. Growth-stage enterprises with mature products and a market foundation can shift their applications towards performance-based scenario rewards and specialized R&D攻关 projects linked to sales and payments.
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