Recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan have been released in multiple provinces, calling for accelerated efforts to build a leading hub for artificial intelligence innovation.

  Recently, Zhejiang and Shandong have released their proposals for the 15th Five-Year Plan. According to an incomplete tally by reporters, more than fifteen localities have so far unveiled their respective 15th Five-Year Plan recommendations. While advancing traditional pillar industries, regions are also leveraging their strengths in cutting-edge sectors such as artificial intelligence.

  “Across the country, the 15th Five-Year Plans for science and technology innovation and industrial development exhibit characteristics of precise targeting, distinct regional identities, and coordinated progress—leveraging local resource endowments while aligning with national strategic priorities, thereby fostering a landscape of differentiated competition and synergistic growth,” said Zhu Keli, founding dean of the National Academy of New Economy.

  Specifically, with a focus on leveraging technological innovation to drive industrial upgrading, Guangdong has proposed fostering “mutual reinforcement and dual strength” between industry and technology, relying on its manufacturing base to advance intelligent transformation and propel sectors such as electronic information and equipment manufacturing toward higher-end development. Zhejiang has stated that its status as a hub for scientific and technological innovation, an advanced manufacturing base, and a global leader in AI-driven innovation will become even more prominent. While cultivating emerging pillar industries, it is establishing mechanisms to steadily increase investment in future‑oriented sectors, exploring diverse technological pathways, exemplary application scenarios, viable business models, and regulatory frameworks. With particular emphasis on humanoid robotics, brain–computer interfaces, neuromorphic intelligence, quantum information, and biomanufacturing, the province is planning and building a number of pioneering zones for next‑generation industries. Sichuan has outlined plans to build a modern industrial system that highlights local characteristics and strengths, strengthening science and technology as the driving force behind the development of new‑type productive forces. This includes accelerating the quality improvement and expansion of six key advantageous industries, while achieving breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, biomanufacturing, and quantum technologies.

  Focusing on bolstering original innovation capacity, Hunan has proposed that, in response to the technological needs of its “4×4” modern industrial system, leading enterprises be encouraged to form consortia to tackle cutting-edge fields such as quantum technology and aerospace–marine sciences, thereby establishing a new model of “demand-driven, organized research.” Fujian has outlined plans to proactively plan for both basic research and applied basic research, reinforcing a research orientation toward original innovation in science and technology, and generating more groundbreaking achievements. Through major scientific and technological initiatives aligned with national strategic capabilities, Fujian aims to establish high‑level platforms, creating a closed-loop ecosystem of “original innovation–technological breakthroughs–industrial application.” Shandong has likewise committed to actively integrating into the national regional innovation framework, striving to build a national regional innovation center and an industrial innovation hub. The province will pursue high‑standard construction and seek to establish nationally recognized platforms—including national technology innovation centers, manufacturing innovation centers, and emerging‑industry innovation centers—while fully leveraging the role of major innovation hubs such as the Laoshan Laboratory to support organized research and enhance its capacity for generating original innovations.

  “Artificial intelligence has become a ‘must‑win battleground’ in the development plans of regions across China for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, yet each locality adopts its own strategic priorities and focuses on distinct areas of emphasis,” said Zhu Keli. For instance, Hunan is concentrating on sectors such as “AI + advanced manufacturing” and “AI + seed industry,” driving technological breakthroughs through targeted research projects with the aim of establishing national benchmarks. Zhejiang, backed by high R&D investment intensity and trillion‑yuan‑scale funding for science and technology innovation, is accelerating the development of a leading hub for AI‑driven innovation. Fujian is strengthening efforts to develop industry‑specific vertical models, expanding the supply of computing power, algorithms, and data, and fostering deep integration between digital‑intelligence technologies and the real economy. Guizhou, leveraging the “East Data, West Computing” initiative, is centering its strategy on intelligent computing to cultivate the computing‑power industry and using large‑scale industry‑specific models to catalyze the practical application of AI‑enabled solutions. Meanwhile, Liaoning is building a comprehensive ecosystem spanning computing power, algorithms, data, and applications, thereby advancing the intelligent transformation of all factors of production in the industrial sector.

  In the view of Tian Lihui, Director of the Institute for Financial Development at Nankai University, regional strategies centered on artificial intelligence are unfolding in a “east–central–west gradient‑driven empowerment” pattern: the eastern region builds an ecosystem driven by real‑world applications; the central region leverages its industrial base to deepen integration; and the western region capitalizes on its energy advantages to meet growing computing‑power demand.

  However, as localities race to seize the initiative, they must remain mindful of a range of challenges. Zhu Keli cautions that bridging the “last mile” in integrating AI technologies with traditional industries remains a significant hurdle. At the same time, attention must be paid to the risk of technological homogenization; in some regions, hasty deployments of general-purpose large models could lead to fragmented resource allocation. Furthermore, lagging data security and ethical governance—along with issues such as algorithmic bias and privacy breaches—require urgent regulatory frameworks.

  “On the one hand, we must avoid low‑level redundant development—for instance, some central and western regions exhibit a tendency to prioritize hardware over real‑world applications. On the other hand, we need to bridge the regional digital divide, as the western region lags significantly behind in the marketization of data factors. Moreover, we must strike a balance between the pace of innovation and the depth of governance, given that the establishment of ethical frameworks generally trails behind technological deployment,” said Tian Lihui. He added that, going forward, it will be essential to progressively forge a nationwide coordinated framework characterized by “differentiated positioning, collaborative iteration, and shared risk governance”—for example, by having the eastern region strengthen the spillover effects of foundational‑layer innovation, the central and western regions focus on vertical use cases that combine industry‑specific pain points with AI, and select provinces pilot cross‑border data‑cooperation initiatives under the Belt and Road Initiative. (Reporter: Wei Xiayi)

[Editor-in-charge: Liu Ziya]

Source: Economic Information Daily