SZ unveils 2025 Smart Terminal Support Program with grants of up to ￥20M

The Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology recently unveiled the application guidelines for the 2025 Smart Terminal Industry Development Support Program. 

A scene at the Global AI Device Expo 2025 held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian this May. Xu Shuntian

Projects focused on breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) terminal technologies can receive grants of up to 20 million yuan (US$2.78 million). This initiative aims to accelerate the research, production, and market promotion of smart terminals such as smartphones, computers, and other consumer electronics, boosting the growth of Shenzhen’s smart terminal industry.

According to the guidelines, supported projects primarily focus on the research, production, and application promotion of smartphones, computers, tablets, smart wearables, virtual reality devices, smart home product ecosystems, large AI model integrated machines, and other innovative consumer electronic terminals.

For AI terminal technology breakthrough projects, enterprises are encouraged to carry out technological research around foundational hardware and software, including edge or edge-cloud collaborative large AI models, edge AI chips, AI-enabled operating systems, and AI terminal products. Subsidies cover construction, and research and development expenses, with support capped at 15% of the verified total project investment, and a maximum grant limit of 20 million yuan per applicant.

The AI terminal public service platform construction projects support third-party agencies, universities, research institutes, or leading large-model vendors collaborating with upstream and downstream ecosystem partners to build public service platforms. These platforms will provide capabilities such as edge large model and AI terminal product testing and evaluation, common technical support, and incubation services for new AI terminal products. Eligible platforms will receive subsidies covering 50% of verified construction costs, up to 3 million yuan.

The program also features national funding matching support projects, which provide financial matching for major smart terminal projects organized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and undertaken by enterprises, universities, or research institutes. Matching funds are provided at a ratio of up to 1:1 based on national funding, with the total combined national and municipal subsidies not exceeding 40% of the total project investment.

Additionally, a reward program for bestselling AI consumer terminal products is included. Up to 3 million yuan per product will be offered to qualified smart terminal brand companies. The reward is calculated as 0.1% of the verified actual sales amount in 2024 for smartphone products, and 5% for other categories.

The application system for the support program will open on June 13.