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The Ten Measures to Promote High-Quality Development of Intelligent and Connected Vehicle (ICV) Industry (the Measures for short) was recently released by Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (Beijing E-Town), calling for the construction of a globally influential hub for the ICV industry.

Beijing E-Town is expected to further implement China's "Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration" initiative, expedite the expansion of the 4th phase of Beijing Autonomous Driving Demonstration Zone, and provide financial support to leading entities with key technologies with up to CNY 10 million.

Autonomous driving systems need to be trained by using various complex data so as to ensure that the vehicles run on roads steadily. Given that computing power is required for the training, "computing power coupons" worth CNY 100 million will be given out annually to help enterprises buy computing power services, with a maximum of CNY 20 million per enterprise, as per the AI-related policies of Beijing E-Town.

Where can self-driving vehicles be applied? Beijing has developed eight application scenarios, including those featuring self-driving "taxis" and unmanned delivery vehicles. The Measures proposes to accelerate the expansion of the 4th phase of Beijing Autonomous Driving Demonstration Zone, establishing an inclusive and prudent management mechanism and developing more diverse scenarios for enterprises. Specifically, the Measures calls for financing the demonstration application of unmanned driving in public services including sanitation cleaning, urban management, convenience services, public transportation, travel services, and logistics distribution, with a subsidy of CNY 6 per kilometer based on the test mileage. The annual maximum amount for each enterprise is CNY 3 million.

An array of policy incentives have been introduced to provide solid financial support for the development of the ICV industry. These include: give one-time support of up to CNY 2 million per year to enterprises that lead in developing and issuing various levels of standards in the field of ICV; entities that access data through legal channels and effectively use it to promote commercial application will receive up to 30 percent of the actual data transaction amount, with a maximum of CNY 1.5 million per enterprise per year.

In terms of technological breakthroughs, Beijing E-Town will support the initial round of tape-out of automotive chip design products and focus on research in important fields of ICV, including key technologies for vehicle-road-cloud integration, large models and autonomous driving, and high-performance cockpit chips. Financial support will be provided based on the technological innovation level and investment of the projects involved. In principle, the financial support amount for each project shall not exceed CNY 10 million. In the meantime, national-level scientific and technological innovation platforms, such as national-level innovation centers and national-level key laboratories in the ICV industry, are encouraged to make breakthroughs in cutting-edge common technologies centered on national development strategies. Outstanding entities undertaking significant scientific and technological projects in Beijing and the country will receive financial support, with an annual maximum amount of CNY 20 million per entity.

(Source: Beijing Daily App)