Trekking through the landscapes of Anhui Province reveals a vibrant picture of industrial advancement, with a modern industrial system and forward-looking industry incubation programs now deeply embedded across the region.
At the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory in Hefei's Zhong'an Chuanggu Science Park, a striking silver device captures attention. This is a lunar soil water-ice extraction system, designed to "harvest water" directly from the Moon. According to the lab's Party Secretary Hu Chaobin, the machine uses two spiral drills to penetrate ice-bearing lunar regolith. The heat generated converts the ice into vapor, which then condenses into collectible water, producing between 10 and 50 grams per hour. This innovative device addresses the "final mile" of lunar water resource utilization, laying a crucial foundation for future deep-space resource exploitation.
Just a short distance away, at the China Telecom Quantum Group's exhibition hall in the Hefei High-tech Zone, two quantum-integrated products stand out. A mobile phone equipped with a quantum SIM card generates a unique quantum key for every call, significantly enhancing communication security. Meanwhile, a quantum cloud seal provides real-time tracking, acting as "eyes" for official stamps by logging every detail of where and what is being stamped. Hefei, a pivotal birthplace of quantum technology and the headquarters of China Telecom Quantum, has accelerated the commercialization of key technologies like quantum communication and quantum computing in recent years. "We are embedding quantum security into our core business and have launched a range of tech products," noted a company representative.
The Zhong'an Chuanggu Science Park, home to China Telecom Quantum, houses 13 quantum companies side-by-side. Nearby, the renowned "Quantum Avenue" clusters over 30 leading quantum tech firms, covering the entire spectrum of quantum computing, communication, and measurement. From fundamental research to industrial application, a complete quantum ecosystem has taken shape in the city.
Meanwhile, in Wuhu, a busy intersection on Zhongjiang Avenue presents a futuristic scene. A special "traffic officer" stands in the middle of the road, its robotic arms executing precise signals for going straight, turning left, and stopping. Working in tandem with human officers, it handles basic traffic direction and flow management. This is the Zhi Jing robot, developed by Chery Group's subsidiary Mojia Robotics Technology Co., Ltd. Over the first half of this year, more than 110 units have been deployed across 30 cities nationwide. "Leveraging Chery's strengths in manufacturing, supply chains, and global channels, Mojia has delivered over 2,000 robots worldwide, spanning 60 countries and regions. Our applications cover automotive marketing, smart policing, and medical guidance," said Zhang Guibing, Executive Vice President of Chery Automobile and General Manager of Mojia Robotics. Since being designated China's first national robotics industry cluster pilot zone in 2013, Wuhu has leveraged the Chery automotive supply chain as its foundation, spawning leading robotics companies like Efort and Mojia. This has created a complete ecosystem from components and manufacturing to system integration and real-world applications, bringing together over 300 upstream and downstream companies and generating an industrial output of 40 billion yuan.
The rapid growth of the robotics sector is underpinned by robust computing power infrastructure. "We provide efficient computational support for robot training, AI algorithm development, and massive data processing, propelling the embodied intelligence industry toward large-scale commercial application," stated Hu Rong, Chairman of Wuhu Big Data Construction and Investment Operations Co., Ltd. As a key hub for the "East Data, West Computing" project in the Yangtze River Delta, Wuhu has rapidly expanded its computing capacity. By July, the city had built 224,700 standard server racks, with a smart computing power scale of 64,000 P (1P equals approximately one quintillion calculations per second), equivalent to the combined processing power of 32 million high-performance computers.
A novel approach to institutional reform is brewing in Lu'an, a city in western Anhui, where the hydrogen energy industry chain is being developed at full speed. Here, hydrogen production and refueling operate side-by-side, literally. In the Tomorrow Hydrogen Energy Industrial Park, hydrogen generated through photovoltaic power is sent directly via pipeline to the refueling station next door, dramatically simplifying the costly logistics and storage process. In 2024, Lu'an introduced a policy allowing hydrogen production and refueling stations to operate outside chemical industry parks, provided they meet safety standards. "Previously, such integrated stations were confined to chemical parks, placing hydrogen sources far from major urban transportation hubs," explained Wang Chaoyun, Chairman of Tomorrow Hydrogen. He noted that storage and transport account for a large portion of hydrogen's final cost, and this policy helps reduce those expenses, opening new avenues for industry growth.
Looking ahead, Anhui is strategically fostering a range of future-oriented sectors, including general artificial intelligence, low-altitude economy, brain-computer interfaces, stem cells, and semiconductors. Cities like Hefei, Wuhu, Bengbu, Huainan, and Chizhou are each developing their own niches, creating a collaborative and tiered approach to progress. To date, the first batch of ten provincial-level future industry pilot zones in Anhui has achieved a combined industrial chain output exceeding 93 billion yuan. With continuous strengthening of upstream and downstream support and the increasing concentration of innovation in areas like general and embodied intelligence, brain-computer interfaces, bio-manufacturing, 6G, and hydrogen energy, Anhui's future industries are rapidly taking root and gaining momentum.