No space? A vibrant community spanning over ten thousand square meters awaits, fully equipped from roadshow halls to laboratories. Short on capital? A sci-tech innovation fund totaling more than 500 million yuan provides precise funding, with specialized loans and computing power loans available as needed. Seeking technology? National-level platforms and operator studios are right next door, with intelligent computing support readily accessible. Looking for partners? Universities, research institutions, and upstream and downstream players in the industrial chain are all under one roof, where chance encounters can spark collaboration. The Deep Workshop has set sail.
As the wave of "one-person companies" surges, the Zhangjiagang Economic and Technological Development Zone (Yangshe Town) has responded with systematic planning, meticulously crafting the OPC Youth Community—Deep Workshop within the nationally accredited sci-tech business incubator, Shazhou Lake Sci-Tech Park, to build a full-chain innovation ecosystem. This place is becoming a "dreamland" for "super individuals": from physical space to capital flow, from technological empowerment to ecological aggregation, ensuring that solo entrepreneurs no longer run alone and that every innovative idea can take root and grow in this "sci-tech rainforest."
Fertile Ground – Comprehensive Nurturing for Immediate Innovation Impact Entering the OPC Youth Community—Deep Workshop at Shazhou Lake Sci-Tech Park feels different from a traditional office building. Spanning four floors, it includes exhibition halls, roadshow areas, laboratories, public spaces, and project zones. There is no clocking in; you can head downstairs for a roadshow and potentially bump into a future partner around the corner.
But the space is just the surface. What truly excites entrepreneurs about Deep Workshop is its cluster of influential "neighbors." Zhangjiagang ICC, the first full-chain integrated circuit packaging and testing verification platform in China, has served nearly 500 companies over 5,000 times. Zhongke Nano, Suzhou's only specialized R&D platform for compound semiconductors, has successfully incubated seven semiconductor firms. The Suzhou Hydrogen Energy Innovation Center is positioned at the forefront of the hydrogen energy sector. These three major platforms, clustered in the Zhangjiagang Economic and Technological Development Zone (Yangshe Town), focus on hardcore fields like integrated circuits, compound semiconductors, and hydrogen energy, creating synergistic effects.
What does this mean? An AI chip development team can access packaging and testing resources right outside their door. Makers working on smart hardware can turn around and get nano-technology support. But this is only the first layer of "depth." Deep Workshop collaborates with institutions like the Zhangjiagang Campus of Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Shazhou Vocational College of Industry, and Zhangjiagang Technician College, facilitating the transformation of technological achievements. The surrounding area offers comprehensive amenities, including high-end talent apartments, shared meeting rooms, and roadshow centers, with one-stop services for computing power leasing, tool training, and intellectual property support.
Policy support is also substantial. Startups can move in with just their bags; growing projects receive up to 500 square meters of rent-free space for one year, while leading talent projects get up to 1,000 square meters rent-free for three years, plus up to 3 million yuan in funding and 600,000 yuan in home purchase subsidies. Additional specialized support is available for computing power and finance. "From project incubation and product R&D to market promotion and scaling up, we provide continuous, precise assistance," said Guo Haier, a member of the Yangshe Town Committee in Zhangjiagang.
As one of Suzhou's first benchmark OPC communities, Deep Workshop focuses on five key AI sectors: AI + manufacturing, providing "fast, light, accurate" solutions for local enterprise pain points; AI + content, nurturing creative projects like digital marketing and short video production; AI + cross-border, helping build "micro-multinational" companies; AI + government services, enhancing intelligent governance; and AI + platform, effectively lowering barriers to entrepreneurship. This year, Deep Workshop will also release a list of 30 real local industrial needs, allowing companies to "take the lead" in tackling challenges, ensuring AI technology addresses real problems in factories and government service halls.
Rapid Growth – Multi-Sector Competition Fuels Collective Momentum Within Deep Workshop, numerous vibrant entrepreneurial stories are unfolding.
Consider the foresight of relocation – Aowei Digital Technology, a company with 15 years of experience in youth maker education, moved its core team entirely from Shanghai last year. "Why relocate? Because the fit here is perfect," said Liu Zhen, the company's domestic consumer segment head. Focusing on AI development, the company benefits from Deep Workshop's AI R&D resources, government support, and talent supply from nearby universities – recruiting graduates in computer science and AI from Jiangsu University of Science and Technology and Shazhou Vocational College of Industry, benefiting from proximity, relevant expertise, and high stability.
Early this year, usage of the AI modeling feature developed by Aowei Digital surged – children can scribble or take a photo, and the AI generates a 3D model, turning boundless imagination into tangible creative works.
Witness the resilience to overcome challenges – Returning entrepreneur Zeng Jiayuan, during research back in China, discovered that many small and medium-sized enterprises in Zhangjiagang, Changshu, and Taicang had not undergone digital transformation. He chose to return to start Fuluo Technology and base it in Deep Workshop. After extensive R&D, an automated data collaboration platform emerged. It automatically captures policies and intelligently matches projects, acting as a "policy translator" to help businesses bridge the digital divide.
See the commitment to empowerment – Jiangsu Zhiji Artificial Intelligence Technology plays the role of an "enabler." Leveraging heterogeneous computing integration and low-code development, it allows startups to avoid building expensive tech stacks from scratch. "Soon, we will launch the Zhangjiagang AI Public Computing Power Service Platform," said Jia Fenglin, the company's General Manager. A full suite of tools, from model training to application deployment, makes the vision of "a one-person army" a reality.
Currently, Deep Workshop hosts various companies and startup teams in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, high-end equipment, and new energy. Entrepreneurs of different scales run on their respective tracks, yet inadvertently support each other.
Thriving Forest – Systemic Empowerment for a Sustainable Ecosystem Within Deep Workshop, two studios play crucial roles as technical "interfaces."
China Telecom's "Deep智云 Studio" focuses on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, offering入驻 enterprises comprehensive support ranging from security evaluation and备案 support to attack protection and emergency response. China Mobile's "Jiutian Studio," based on the full-stack Jiutian AI platform, provides 10,000-card-level intelligent computing, full-modal large models, and a one-stop development platform, breaking down barriers between devices, data, and platforms to offer full-chain support for OPC teams.
Financial capital is a key piece of the collaborative ecosystem. The Zhangjiagang Economic and Technological Development Zone (Yangshe Town) has established a Sci-Tech Innovation (OPC) Fund with a total scale of 502 million yuan, prioritizing investments in seed, early-stage, and growth-phase projects, adhering to the principle of "investing early, small, long-term, and in hard tech." Banks including Zhangjiagang Rural Commercial Bank, Bank of Jiangsu, Bank of Ningbo, China CITIC Bank, and Bank of Suzhou have simultaneously launched customized products like the "OPC Talent Special Loan" and "Computing Power Loan," ensuring financial resources precisely nurture each innovative seedling.
The local government has also launched the "Technology Dream Building · Innovation Energy Gathering" pioneering action, injecting systematic institutional guarantees into this ecological aggregation. New mechanisms are reshaping investment and talent attraction models, implementing a four-in-one sci-tech investment approach combining "industrial chain + industry experts + leading chain enterprises + support policies." Heartfelt services deeply cultivate the entire enterprise growth cycle, enforcing a "three musts" enterprise engagement mechanism and "one enterprise, one policy" tailored support. A core ecosystem lays the foundation for the future sci-tech landscape, building a "sci-tech rainforest" centered around Shazhou Lake Sci-Tech Park and upgrading the OPC Youth Community to provide dual empowerment in AI and entrepreneurship.
Furthermore, the Zhangjiagang Economic and Technological Development Zone (Yangshe Town) released the "OPC Youth Entrepreneurship Runway Plan," collaborating with Shazhou Vocational College of Industry, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, and Zhangjiagang Rural Commercial Bank—fostering university-local cooperation and financial guidance to build a growth ladder for young people.
From one individual to an entire industry, from a single workstation to a full ecosystem. Using Deep Workshop as a lever, Zhangjiagang is unlocking the infinite possibilities of AI+. Here, no dream is neglected, and every "super individual" can find their own vast universe of opportunity.