(Yicai Global) Nov. 27 -- Chongqing municipality in southwestern China will spend hundreds of billions of yuan on artificial intelligence (AI) technology innovations and applications in the next three years, the city's science and technology commission said.

The major urban region will focus on a number of major scientific research projects in fields such as smart perception, human-computer interaction, smart and Internet of Vehicles and intelligent robots with government funding of CNY1 million (USD151,520) to CNY10 million earmarked for each program and a total investment of CNY1 billion.

The municipality will also attract more than CNY10 billion in social and financial capital and investment of CNY100 billion from enterprises, universities and industrial parks, China News Network reported yesterday.

Chongqing will also set up more than 10 strategic alliances in the AI industry, nurture more than 100 core backbone enterprises and more than 1,000 small and medium-sized technology enterprises, as well as introduce more than 1,000 high-end research and development personnel to form an AI industrial cluster.

As one of China's major industrial bases, the municipality has more than 100 universities and research institutes engaged in AI research, and more than 200 major related-enterprises. This year, the city added nearly 100 AI-related businesses, with industry-scale reaching CNY20 billion.

Chongqing has carried out more than 100 AI technology research and product development projects up to now, with investment from government funding exceeding CNY400 million and attracting nearly CNY2 billion of social investment.