An innovative ecosystem, where entities collaborate seamlessly along the AI industrial chain, has taken shape in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District. Dubbed the “Model Camp” AI Ecosystem Community, this flagship incubator in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area focuses on large AI models.

Currently hosting an inaugural cohort of 11 AI startups, it aspires to incubate at minimum 100 AI firms and 1,000 AI applications on the back of a total investment of 20 million yuan (US$2.76 million) and a series of supportive policies, according to the Nanshan science, technology, and innovation bureau.

With this new incubator initiative, Nanshan, hosting nearly 40% of Shenzhen’s AI firms, strives to propel newly minted companies to the vanguard of large language model development and application across diverse sectors — from consumer goods to culture, health care, and financial services.