Thirty years ago, Hefei's western outskirts were farmland. Today, they form a key node in advanced manufacturing — one of China's first national high-tech zones, and a microcosm of the country's shift from scale-driven to technology-driven growth and from single industries to cluster synergy.

Hefei GStar Intelligent Control Technical developed the world's first commercial online composition analyzer for high-temperature melts, eliminating the risks associated with manual sampling. Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology launched the world's first integrated computing-power-electricity platform for AI infrastructure, combining power supply, heterogeneous computing scheduling, and token output.

The Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone hosts over 500 provincial-level or above R&D platforms and new-type research institutions, including the CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, the Deep Space Exploration Lab, the Jianghuai Frontier Technology Coordination and Innovation Center, the Institute of Advanced Technology of the University of Science and Technology of China, and CETC 38th Research Institute. It incubates more than 300 tech firms annually.

The photo shows the Yunfei Road, known as "Quantum Avenue," in the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone, Anhui province. [Photo/WeChat account: hefeigaoxinfabu]

Smart appliances — anchored by Midea, Gree, and Whirlpool — form a complete chain of 35 firms worth nearly 70 billion yuan (US$10.44 billion), about one-third of Hefei's total. The zone aims to raise this figure to 100 billion yuan by 2030. 

The zone gathers 75 advanced PV and storage firms with a total value exceeding 100 billion yuan. Its quantum tech sector counts more than 90 companies, with 10 new ones this year. In AI, HiDream.ai's vivago R1, the world's first unlimited-duration video generation agent, raised 2.1 billion yuan in three rounds and became a unicorn. The Starshine OPC Entrepreneur Community has welcomed over 30 projects since May.

The zone has built a modern industrial system featuring "3+2+X": new energy, AI-powered manufacturing, and comprehensive healthcare services as its three leading industries; quantum technology and aerospace information as two industries of the future; and emerging fields such as hydrogen energy, nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence, biomanufacturing, and frontier materials.

From farmland to manufacturing highland, the vision remains clear: Technology solves industrial problems, and industry demand leads to breakthroughs.