Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone is located in Anhui province. [Photo/WeChat account: hefeigaoxinfabu]

Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone (Hefei high-tech zone) is one of the first national high-tech industrial zones ratified by the State Council in 1991. Located in Hefei, capital of eastern China's Anhui province, the zone is the core area of the Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, the innovation hub of Hefei Binhu Science City, the Hefei part of the China (Anhui) Pilot Free Trade Zone, and the Grand Union of Innovation. The zone is also one of China's national innovation demonstration zones and among the first batch of national entrepreneurship and innovation demonstration centers. Covering an area of 194 square kilometers, it administers eight sub-districts, with a permanent resident population of 376,000. In 2025, its GDP reached 152.2 billion yuan ($22.42 billion), representing a year-on-year growth of 6.1%.

Guided by its founding principle of "building industries through sci-tech advancement," the Hefei high-tech zone has pursued an endogenous development path, bridging the gap between sci-tech, innovation, and business. Its proven track record earned it a spot in China's "world-class high-tech park" program in 2018.

As a center of scientific and technological innovation, Hefei high-tech zone is home to 38 major innovation institutions, including Hefei National Laboratory, Deep Space Exploration Lab, Jianghuai Frontier Technology Coordination and Innovation Center, Institute of Advanced Technology of the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei Technological Innovation Engineering Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China Electronics Technology Group Corporation. It has gathered more than 400 provincial-level and above R&D platforms and new-type R&D institutions, and attracted 3,700 high-tech firms, 4,650 national-level sci-tech SMEs, 135 specialized tech companies with great growth potentials known as "little giants," as well as four unicorn companies. It has accumulated 26,000 valid invention patents, with 318 high-value patents per 10,000 people, ranking among China's top innovation hubs.

As a center of high-tech industries, the Hefei high-tech zone has built a modern industrial ecosystem centered on three pillar industries — new energy, AI-powered smart manufacturing, and healthcare — and two frontier sectors, quantum technology and aerospace information. This thriving hub has cultivated a number of leading enterprises like iFlytek, Sungrow Power, Anke Biotechnology, QuantumCTek, Circuit Fabology Microelectronics Equipment, and Geovis. It boasts 113,000 market entities, including 86,000 companies, and has nurtured 35 listed companies. It is home to China Speech Valley, the first national-level artificial intelligence industrial park, and more than 1,500 AI businesses. The zone includes four provincial-level major strategic and new industrial bases on intelligent voice technology, integrated circuits, high-end medical devices, and network information and security. Furthermore, there are three provincial-level future industry pilot areas on quantum technology, commercial aerospace, and AI in the zone. It counts over 80 quantum technology companies, over 140 aerospace information firms, and more than 400 biomedicine enterprises. The zone has built a full-lifecycle sci-tech financial ecosystem that spans angel investment, innovation loans, equity investment, youth entrepreneurship funds and other tailored financial instruments. The zone hosts more than 240 funds with a total pool exceeding 280 billion yuan ($41.5 billion).

As a center of high-quality urban development, Hefei high-tech zone boasts abundant natural resources, including Dashu Mountain National Forest Park, Shuxi Lake, and Beiyan Lake. The first National Ecological Industrial Demonstration Zone in the central and western China, and one of the first national carbon peak pilot zones are nestled in the zone. The per capita area of park green space reaches 33.4 square meters. This zone is equipped with top-tier educational resources and premium medical facilities, forming a fully supportive living ecosystem for global talent. It launched Hefei's first-ever Talent Day, fostering a highly enabling environment for professional development and career advancement. The total number of employees in the zone has reached 585,000, with over 51.1% having a bachelor's degree or higher. A total of 11,000 professionals is recognized as provincial-level talents.