(Yicai) Nov. 15 -- The Lingang Special Area, a testbed for economic and trade policies added to the Shanghai Free Trade Zone over four years ago, has set up a robotics production base with the aim of fostering a local industry cluster and ecology as a stepping stone to becoming an innovation upland with global influence.

Fifteen agreements on key projects in intelligent robotics were inked between well-known companies and the park operator yesterday, the same day as it was set up, covering the entire industry chain, including artificial intelligence, core parts and components, and robot bodies.

Shanghai is a major hub for the robotics industry in China, which has been investing heavily in industrial automation and robotics to boost manufacturing efficiency and product quality.

Also formed yesterday were the General-Purpose Robot Industry Research Institute and the Lingang Special Area Intelligent Robot Industry Ecology Alliance. The alliance has 29 members, including intelligent robot developers, AI companies, venture capital firms, research institutions, colleges and universities, and businesses that create, provide, and optimize solutions for specific applications or situations.

The Lingang Special Area will meld local computing power, smart chips, and smart manufacturing advantages with application scenarios to create a solid foundation for the development of a general-purpose robotics industry in the area, said Li Xiangcong, deputy director of the high-tech industry and technology innovation department of its management committee.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev