Computing power stands as the core productive force of the digital era. When a tech enterprise holding cutting-edge AI vision chip technology lacks factories and traditional collateral, how can it obtain financial support and focus on research and development?
Recently, the Hangzhou branch of the Agricultural Bank of China (also known as ABC) successfully issued its first-ever "Computing Power Loan", providing a 28 million yuan loan to Hangzhou Zhaoguan Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., an AI vision computing chip company.
AI vision chips, as a critical segment of the computing power industry chain, support the deployment of frontier applications such as assisted driving, intelligent security, and embodied intelligence. "We have been deeply involved in the field of vision processor chips for many years, owning a complete self-developed technology system. Our products are widely used in robotics, drones, industrial automation, smart mobility, and high-end security scenarios," said Feng Xinpeng, chairman of Zhaoguan Intelligent.
As a typical asset-light tech enterprise, Zhaoguan Intelligent's core value lies in its technical patents, computing power R&D capabilities, and technological qualifications. Substantial capital is continuously invested in chip research and iterative development, while the company lacks traditional collateral such as factories and equipment. The traditional credit evaluation logic, which heavily emphasizes real estate collateral, often fails to align with the growth patterns of such enterprises. This makes it difficult to convert technological value into financing quotas, creating a real bottleneck that hinders the development of tech firms.
In response to the requirement of financial services supporting new quality productive forces, the Hangzhou branch of Agricultural Bank of China has innovatively launched the "Computing Power Loan" product. According to reports, this loan is a domestic and foreign currency facility designed for enterprises across the computing power industry chain that meet specific guidelines, addressing their needs for R&D, operations, and construction. The loan can be used for intelligent computing infrastructure construction, AI model development, computing scenario implementation, digital technology upgrades, and the industrialization of computing achievements.
"We don't look at physical assets; we look at 'computing power'," explained Le Xiaotian, head of the key client team at the Hangzhou Linping sub-branch of Agricultural Bank of China. He noted that this product specifically covers the entire chain of tech enterprises, including computing hardware design and manufacturing, computing operations, and AI model development. It establishes a dedicated credit evaluation system tailored to the computing industry, converting core soft strengths—such as the enterprise's computing industry value, R&D innovation capability, technological qualifications, and technical achievements—into quantifiable and credit-backed financing limits. This truly achieves "credit limits determined by technological innovation value", directly addressing the financing pain point of insufficient collateral for computing power tech firms.
"For chip development companies like Zhaoguan Intelligent, the most valuable assets are not factories or equipment, but rather technical patents and R&D strength. Finance is meant to 'back up' technology enterprises," Le added.
It is reported that this timely financial support has effectively alleviated the capital pressure on chip R&D and technological upgrades, helping the company continuously iterate its chip products, expand its industrial layout, and move steadily forward on the AI track. As of August this year, the Hangzhou branch of Agricultural Bank of China has served over 6,800 tech enterprises, provided credit support to more than 3,200 of them, with the total loan balance to tech enterprises surpassing 48 billion yuan. Moving forward, the bank will continue to deepen its commitment to computing power industry chain finance, empowering tech enterprises with customized and efficient financial services to foster a better two-way synergy between technology and finance.