Published by ChinaMNC · Xiuzhou

Jiaxing's AI+Manufacturing Push: What Foreign Founders Need to Know

Jiaxing's latest economic data reveals a strategic shift toward AI-integrated manufacturing, offering foreign founders insights into emerging opportunities and operational considerations in the Yangtze River Delta.

Jiaxing's Industrial Momentum: A Signal for Foreign Founders

For foreign entrepreneurs considering establishing or expanding a company in China, regional economic indicators can inform strategic decisions. Jiaxing, a city in Zhejiang Province, recently released its economic performance for the first three quarters of 2026, revealing significant growth in advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI) integration. This article summarizes those developments and highlights practical takeaways for foreign founders.

Key Economic Data

According to the Jiaxing government, from January to September 2026, the city's above-scale industrial value-added output grew by 9.0% year-on-year, the highest for the same period in four years. Manufacturing investment reached 92.5 billion yuan, up 5.7% year-on-year, ranking first in the province. The AI core industry is expected to generate 71 billion yuan in revenue, a 26% increase. These figures underscore Jiaxing's position as a manufacturing hub with a growing focus on intelligent technologies.

Shift Toward AI-Integrated Manufacturing

The growth is not merely cyclical; it reflects a structural shift from traditional cluster-based industries to intelligent terminals, computing services, and smart equipment. Jiaxing's approach involves advancing both AI industrialization and industrial AI, focusing on four major domains—whole-house intelligence, whole-body intelligence, whole-vehicle intelligence, and whole-factory intelligence—and six sub-sectors, forming a "4+6" AI terminal industry system. In the first three quarters, the city cultivated one AI enterprise with revenue exceeding 10 billion yuan, 20 enterprises exceeding 1 billion yuan, and 11 specialized and sophisticated "little giant" enterprises.

Practical Steps: Leveraging Scenarios and Computing Power

For foreign founders, Jiaxing's strategy offers a template for integrating AI into manufacturing. The city has systematically collected and published 110 manufacturing scenario demands, with 96 already matched and 54 under construction. It has built 29 provincial-level benchmark demonstrations, ranking third in the province, and two districts (Nanhu for electronic information and Haining for smart photovoltaics) were selected as provincial AI-enabled manufacturing pilots, the most in Zhejiang. These scenarios are crucial for technology validation and demand-driven iteration.

Supporting these scenarios is a robust computing infrastructure: over 60% of Zhejiang's operational computing power is in Jiaxing, home to the province's only supercomputing center (Wuzhen Light), and Jiashan is the only national integrated computing network hub node in the Yangtze River Delta. Jiaxing, along with Hangzhou and Ningbo, was selected for the national "millisecond computing" pilot, and a national computing interconnection regional node has been approved. This infrastructure ensures that scenarios can be implemented reliably, accelerating enterprise growth and ecosystem development.

Policy Framework and Implementation

Jiaxing has issued an "AI+Manufacturing" implementation plan (2026-2028), providing a roadmap for advanced manufacturing development. The plan emphasizes a gradual, systematic重塑 of industrial structure, resource allocation, and innovation ecosystem, requiring policy consistency, market patience, and continued scenario openness. For foreign founders, this signals a supportive policy environment for AI-related manufacturing ventures.

Key Takeaways for Foreign Founders

• Market Opportunities: Jiaxing's focus on AI terminals and computing services presents opportunities for foreign companies with expertise in these areas.
• Infrastructure Access: The city's advanced computing resources and pilot programs can support R&D and operations.
• Policy Support: The implementation plan and provincial pilot designations indicate government commitment to AI+manufacturing.
• Scenario-Driven Approach: Foreign founders can participate in published scenario demands to test and scale solutions.

Foreign founders looking to register or operate a company in China can benefit from understanding such regional dynamics. Jiaxing's experience illustrates how local policies and infrastructure can facilitate entry into advanced manufacturing sectors.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.

For assistance with company registration and operations in China, foreign founders can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp / WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535.