10-02-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China's new Silicon Valley? DeepSeek boosts Hangzhou's tech standing
Wency Chen in Shanghai and Ann Cao in Shanghai Published: 8:00am, 10 Feb 2025 Updated: 10:14am, 10 Feb 2025
Hangzhou, the capital of China's southeastern Zhejiang province, is rapidly gaining recognition as a leading technology hub in the country with the rise of local start-ups known as the 'Six Little Dragons'. Among the hottest of the start-ups right now is DeepSeek , which captured global attention this year for its cost-efficient artificial intelligence (AI) models. The others include robotics firms Unitree and Deep Robotics, video game studio Game Science, brain-machine interface innovator BrainCo, and 3D interior design software developer Manycore. Authorities in Hangzhou, perhaps best known as the home of tech giant and Post parent company Alibaba Group Holding , acknowledged the group of start-ups in a New Year's message to the local business community last month.
'It's an honour to be dubbed as one of the 'Six Little Dragons',' Deep Robotics product manager Zheng Dongxin said in an interview on Thursday.
Last December, Deep Robotics' quadruped robot was adopted by Singapore Power Group for power tunnel inspections, making it the first Chinese four-legged robot deployed overseas for industrial use. The company has also ramped up efforts to develop humanoid robots, with a new product launch expected in the second and third quarters this year, Zheng told the Post.
He credited his company's success to Hangzhou's 'atmosphere of innovation', fostered through favourable government policies such as tax incentives, industrial park development, and financial backing.
