Chinese cities are offering incentives including free apartments, office space and subsidized computing power to attract ‘one-person companies,’ or AI-driven startups run by a single founder, as part of a broader push to expand the country’s artificial intelligence sector.
According to the nonprofit Rest of World, local governments in cities such as Suzhou, Shanghai and Wuhan have rolled out policies in recent months, including loan support and covering up to 300,000 yuan ($44,000) in computing costs, to encourage solo entrepreneurs to build AI applications.
Suzhou plans to cultivate 1,000 one-person companies (OPCs) and build 30 communities for them by 2028.
The initiative reflects China’s strategy of using coordinated government support and regional competition to accelerate emerging industries.
“China is like a giant Silicon Valley,” Lin Zhang, an associate professor at the University of New Hampshire, told the publication. “When new technology emerges, the entire bureaucratic system is mobilized to develop it.”
Officials are also repurposing underused data centers and office spaces as incubators for these startups, amid a shortage of AI talent and excess infrastructure.
While investors caution that many such ventures may not become viable businesses, the subsidies are drawing tech workers fearful of AI-related layoffs and first-time founders seeking opportunities in AI.