Shenzhen Action Plan for Accelerating the Development of Artificial Intelligence Terminal Industry (2025–2026)

In order to seize new opportunities in the development of artificial intelligence, support the integration of AI technologies into intelligent terminal products, drive high-quality and leapfrog development of the intelligent terminal industry, and accelerate the creation of a globally and nationally leading AI terminal industry cluster, this action plan is formulated in accordance with the guidelines of the Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Development of New-quality Productivity and Promoting High-Quality Development of Strategic Emerging Industry Clusters and Future Industries, as well as the Action Plan for Accelerating the Construction of Shenzhen as a Pioneer City in Artificial Intelligence. The plan is tailored to the city’s unique circumstances.

I. Development Goals

By 2026, Shenzhen aims to significantly enhance the core competitiveness of the AI terminal industry, elevate product sophistication, and further enrich the industrial ecosystem. The industry’s scale is expected to exceed 800 billion yuan, with an aspirational target of reaching 1 trillion yuan. The city will host at least 10 globally renowned AI terminal enterprises, and the production of AI terminal products will surpass 150 million units. Over 50 best-selling AI terminal products will be launched in fields such as smartphones, computers, large-model all-in-one machines, and wearable devices. Furthermore, more than 60 exemplary AI terminal application scenarios will be developed in sectors like intelligent manufacturing, smart finance, smart cities, smart elderly care, and smart government affairs.

II. Key Categories

(I) Artificial intelligence smartphones: Maintain a leading position for smartphone products both domestically and internationally. Develop a full-stack capability that spans “chips—operating systems—models/AI agents—application ecosystems,”and introduce innovative smartphone models. Offer proactive, intent-driven services and lead the upgrade of smartphones from “smart tools”to “smart assistants.”

(II) Artificial intelligence computers (including desktops and laptops): Enhance both global brand influence and advanced manufacturing capabilities. Foster internationally and domestically recognized AI computer brands. Support traditional computer OEMs in transitioning to AI computer manufacturers, and promote the evolution of AI computers into productivity tools powered by edge-based large models and multi-platform collaborative personal workstations.

(III) Artificial intelligence tablets: Further expand the tablet ecosystem and its application scenarios. Build a high-end “Shenzhen-made”brand matrix, improve the technological strength and market competitiveness of mid-tier brands and OEMs, and create more specialized products in vertical industries. Enable large-edge models to adapt across platforms and optimize for lightweight use, driving personalized entertainment, education, content creation, and light office work. Transform tablets from “entertainment devices”into “productivity tools + intelligent interaction hubs.”

(IV) Large model all-in-one machines: Capitalize on the opportunities presented by the open-source movement of large models and accelerate the launch of plug-and-play training and inference all-in-one machines to address the customized and lightweight needs of enterprises and government sectors. Focus on key areas such as smart finance, smart healthcare, and intelligent offices, offering private deployment, industry-specific customization, and efficient, secure, and compliant end-to-end solutions.

(V) Artificial intelligence wearable devices: Introduce a range of flagship AI products in the segments of smart glasses, smartwatches, smart earbuds, and AR/VR devices. Target specific use cases and demand from the Belt and Road markets by offering high-performance, cost-effective AI wearable devices. Focus on consumer applications like spatial awareness, real-time translation, and health monitoring, as well as business applications such as industrial inspections, telemedicine, and emergency response. Establish a hub for the development of AI wearable devices.

(VI) Artificial intelligence imaging devices: Leverage AI technology to transform the image creation process, enhancing professional-grade image capture and intelligent processing capabilities to produce portable, high-performance imaging devices. Improve capabilities such as dynamic object tracking, multi-device collaborative shooting, and real-time light and shadow rendering. Expand into creative production scenarios like extreme sports filming, film-level automated editing, and low-light, lossless imaging. Develop low-power, end-to-end intelligent solutions and strengthen their application in outdoor exploration, commercial photography, and other fields.

(VII) Whole-home smart products: Drive the integration of edge AI models into smart TVs to deliver personalized entertainment experiences. Enable seamless AI connectivity across home appliances and smart home devices, including smart TVs, smart speakers, smart locks, and robotic vacuum cleaners. Enhance key household scenarios such as home entertainment, security, automation, and health management by enabling frictionless interaction between smart appliances, security systems, and energy management solutions. Transform home environments from passive response systems into proactive, intelligent spaces, creating a “digital home organism”with environmental awareness, autonomous decision-making, and emotional interaction capabilities.

(VIII) Industrial-grade AI terminals: Accelerate the adoption of multimodal fusion, computer vision, and digital twin technologies in industrial applications such as intelligent manufacturing, automated control, smart inspections, and security. Develop industrial-grade AI terminals with built-in computing power and self-learning capabilities. Leverage AI to dynamically optimize production line parameters, enable real-time monitoring and anomaly detection, and coordinate multi-device workflows. Enhance quality control and production efficiency, driving the intelligent and high-end transformation of the industrial sector.

(IX) Emerging AI terminals: Capitalize on Shenzhen’s strengths in innovation, strong capabilities in software and hardware R&D and manufacturing, and a robust supply chain to support enterprises in launching new types of artificial intelligence terminals. These include AI business cards, AI toys, and AI life assistants, among others, in fields such as fashion and trendy toys, culture and sports tourism, personal assistants, home-based elderly care, health monitoring, and emotional companionship.

III. Key Tasks

(I) Accelerate the development of edge AI models: Encourage AI terminal and edge AI model enterprises to adopt lightweight optimization techniques such as model compression and distillation to reduce model size and computational demands. Enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of AI model conversion, optimization, and deployment on AI terminals. Support enterprises in building large-scale, multi-dimensional, high-quality datasets to refine edge AI models for specific applications. Actively attract leading AI model developers to establish operations in Shenzhen.

(II) Strengthen the core software and hardware capabilities of AI terminals: Encourage enterprises to optimize the functional architecture of operating systems. Support breakthroughs in core AI terminal chip technologies to enhance overall edge computing efficiency. Promote the development of next-generation display technologies to elevate AI terminal design and interactive content experiences.  Support cutting-edge research in multimodal intelligent sensors to enhance the perceptual and interactive capabilities of AI terminals, pushing the boundaries of their potential applications.

(III)Build a robust AI terminal industry ecosystem: Continuously enhance the business environment and respond proactively to enterprise needs. Encourage companies to increase investment in R&D and technological innovation while attracting ecosystem partners to establish a presence in Shenzhen. Actively nurture and identify emerging innovators, unlocking the potential of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and cultivating a group of “hidden champions.”Proactively attract global AI terminal companies and entrepreneurial teams to establish innovation hubs and R&D centers in Shenzhen.

(IV) Cultivate a vibrant and diverse ecosystem for AI-powered applications. Drive the development of AI agents, foster the creation of more AI-native applications, and encourage developers to enhance AI-native capabilities across various operating systems. Accelerate the deployment of AI solutions across industries, promoting comprehensive, round-the-clock, and multi-scenario AI adoption. Support businesses in developing cutting-edge vertical applications. Incubate AI-powered super apps, empowering software developers to innovate new scenarios, business models, and applications. Establish an open-source AI platform with global reach.

(V) Build a robust standardization framework for AI devices. Support local enterprises in actively contributing to the standardization of AI devices, advancing the development of standards for core software and hardware technologies, product classification and rating systems, safety compliance certifications, and performance evaluations. Encourage companies to define new categories of AI devices, create platforms for aligning standardization needs within AI device industry clusters, propose new standard initiatives, and establish a mechanism for sharing and analyzing standardization requirements. Promote the development of a comprehensive guide for building an AI device standardization system.

(VI) Establish open innovation platforms for the industry. Explore the creation of a New Product Introduction (NPI) innovation platform to fast-track the validation and mass production of innovative AI devices. Encourage the development of AI device evaluation platforms, offering services such as on-device AI model testing and device performance certification. Support the creation of innovation incubators, providing entrepreneurial teams with access to resources and fostering a thriving ecosystem for innovative enterprises.

(VII) Boost the promotion of AI-powered devices. Create a catalog of cutting-edge AI devices and a curated list of top-selling products, aiming to develop a lineup of “must-have”items. Utilize exhibition and promotional platforms to showcase AI devices across multiple channels. Introduce an AI device category in various AI innovation and entrepreneurship competitions. Market high-quality AI devices through diverse and creative campaigns. Encourage the export of standout products, support companies in designing AI devices tailored to specific overseas markets, and facilitate their participation in premium international trade shows.

(VIII) Actively broaden AI device application scenarios. Regularly update the “City + AI”application scenario roadmap, opening up opportunities in areas like government services, urban management, smart education, healthcare, and cultural tourism. Drive the adoption of AI devices in industrial robotics, smart inspection, and intelligent logistics to elevate manufacturing intelligence. Support the development of AI-driven personalized learning devices and expand AI applications in personalized education, smart assessments, and virtual experiments.

(IX) Strengthen privacy and security safeguards. Promote the use of state-of-the-art encryption technologies across all stages of data collection, storage, transmission, and usage in AI devices. Encourage businesses and research institutions to ramp up investments in privacy-preserving technologies. Advance R&D for high-capacity, high-speed home storage solutions to lower local storage costs for consumers. Implement a rapid-response system for addressing security vulnerabilities in AI devices and urge companies to establish dedicated security teams. Explore the creation of a regulatory and governance framework for AI devices, with relevant agencies collaborating to enforce balanced, law-based, and forward-looking oversight.

IV. Safeguard measures

(I) Enhance coordination. Within the framework of the city’s strategic emerging industry clusters and future industrial systems, the municipal bureau of industry and information technology will take the lead in coordinating efforts. All municipal and district units will work in close collaboration, mobilize resources, and provide comprehensive support for the growth of AI device enterprises and the successful implementation of key projects.

(II) Strengthen resource support. Maximize the use of policies promoting large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods replacement, ensure dedicated funding for strategic emerging and future industries, and provide coordinated support to help AI device enterprises scale and thrive. Leverage the 20 major advanced manufacturing parks to offer premium, cost-effective spaces for AI device companies. Introduce initiatives such as “training vouchers,” “data vouchers,”and “model vouchers”to lower operational costs for businesses. Facilitate faster registration of device-side large models, provide access to real-world AI application scenarios, and deliver end-to-end services and lifecycle support for enterprises.

(III) Build a robust talent ecosystem. Encourage local universities and research institutions to accelerate the development of AI-related disciplines and programs, and foster partnerships between academia and industry to establish joint laboratories and talent training bases. Cultivate a strong talent pipeline, including industry leaders, high-level innovators, and technical experts in the AI device sector. Attract top-tier domestic and international talent and entrepreneurial teams to the city. Develop a holistic support system encompassing innovation hubs, talent housing, and office spaces to create a thriving ecosystem for AI development.