Baidu enters Hangzhou, why is Shangcheng the first choice?

The first wave of “earthquake” in the AI circle at the beginning of the year comes from “OpenClaw,” which helps users trade stocks and make money. Following closely is the news that Baidu Smart Cloud has launched the “Red Finger Operator” app, directly accelerating everyone into the era of zero deployment for OpenClaw.

In Hangzhou, aftershocks continue.

Just three days after the proposal to “build Baidu Smart Cloud’s first intelligent cloud innovation center in Hangzhou” was made at the city’s New Year’s first meeting, the Shangcheng District immediately implemented a strategic cooperation with Baidu—signing a contract to establish Baidu Smart Cloud’s Qianfan Large Model (Hangzhou) Industry Innovation Center at Changmu Artificial Intelligence Industrial Park in Shangcheng District.

What does this mean for us?

Creating a Hangzhou-based proof-of-concept center

Establishing Jerusalem of Artificial Intelligence

Baidu and Shangcheng jointly will bring a series of resource advantages, including Baidu’s deep expertise in intelligent cloud, autonomous driving, Wenxin large models, AI chips, and more, providing full-stack AI cloud capabilities—chips, frameworks, models, and applications—for local enterprises’ AI deployment.

Earlier this year, OpenClaw gained attention when a foreign blogger invested $50, which within 48 hours grew to $2,980.

This prompted domestic bloggers to experiment with Baidu Smart Cloud’s Red Finger Operator, discovering that OpenClaw deployment could be achieved without changing devices or installing complex local environments, thus creating their own “AI trading agents.”

Now, this capability of “AI that actually does things” is taking root in Hangzhou, further establishing the foundation for creating the Jerusalem of artificial intelligence.

On February 28, Lu Lang, Director of Baidu Smart Cloud’s Qianfan Private Cloud Product Solutions, introduced the future plans for the Baidu Smart Cloud Qianfan Large Model (Hangzhou) Industry Innovation Center.

Physically, both parties will co-build an intelligent cloud innovation center in northern Hangzhou, covering about 228 acres, integrating industrial space, residential, commercial, and supporting functions, growing alongside Changmu Artificial Intelligence Industrial Park.

In terms of industrial functions, the center will develop three major support platforms: a large model industry empowerment platform, a large model talent training platform, and a large model industry-education integration platform, aiming to achieve economic benefits, address talent shortages, and promote industry-education integration.

“Short-term plans for the new project include opening office space at the Dinglan JiDi Center in mid-year to develop tools for AI agents and a basic deep learning training platform; long-term plans involve establishing a rooted AI industry innovation center in Dinglan District’s Changmu Industrial Park, striving to become a breakthrough for integrated hardware and software development across the district,” added Liu Tingting, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Shangcheng District Investment Promotion Bureau.

Decisive transformation with rich scenarios

Choosing Shangcheng is no accident

Why does Baidu Smart Cloud choose Shangcheng for Hangzhou?

In July 2025, Baidu Smart Cloud’s Qianfan Large Model (Wuhan) Innovation Center was inaugurated in Qiaokou District, with a full house on opening day. The first batch of 23 companies settled in, with over 60% being Baidu ecosystem partners and precision manufacturing firms. Qiaokou District, once Wuhan’s old industrial base with over 300 industrial enterprises, is transforming into an AI industrial park following the shutdown and relocation of chemical companies.

In November of the same year, Baidu Smart Cloud (Quzhou) Innovation Center signed and settled. Currently, Quzhou Smart City is focusing on cultivating new productive forces and heavily investing in future industries like AI and big data.

Baidu’s city selection logic is becoming clearer: instead of competing in the most mature tech hubs, it chooses regions with strong transformation resolve, industrial space, and willingness to “bet” on AI, acting as a local industry upgrade “technology partner”—and Shangcheng in Hangzhou fits perfectly.

At the New Year’s first meeting, Zhang Yan, Secretary of the District Party Committee, said that last year, everyone worked with determination to embed innovation into Shangcheng’s development history. This year, continuous effort is needed to solidify progress and achieve results.

Since the start of the year, Shangcheng has upgraded the “1285” system and added a new “133X” special campaign to deeply connect with AI innovation and development.

Moreover, Baidu’s regional strategy emphasizes “speed + scenarios.”

From planning to completion, Baidu Smart Cloud’s Qianfan Large Model (Wuhan) Innovation Center was built in just three months, setting a record for Baidu project construction.

The partnership with Shangcheng in Hangzhou was similarly swift.

“From initial contact to signing decision, it only took three months,” Lu Lang recalled. “We didn’t expect to sign by February—despite the Spring Festival, Shangcheng maintained close communication with us, and everything moved quickly.”

As Baidu Smart Cloud’s first move in Hangzhou, the goal is to make this project a benchmark AI empowerment base in East China. “Application scenarios are very important. If we innovate scenarios well, we can replicate them elsewhere as our leverage,” Lu Lang said.

Currently, Shangcheng has collected 164 “AI + opportunities” lists and 242 capability lists, ranking first in the city. Each scenario represents an opportunity.

Now, Baidu has identified its first entry point.

Liu Tingting said, “Shangcheng is committed to building the ‘OPC Startup City,’ and Baidu Smart Cloud is developing the ‘OPC Intelligent Employee Platform’ based on the Qianfan large model platform, targeting the operational pain points of OPC single-person companies, enabling OPC to quickly and conveniently command and manage its ‘AI employees.’”

In the era of artificial intelligence, a city eager for transformation and a tech giant needing scenario implementation are not choosing each other by chance.