High-tech cities in the world

Unlike high-tech zones that exist inside the city, high-tech urban areas have a more comprehensive vision thanks to increased integration, promoting the role of regional and international connection as well as being associated with innovation and education and training.

Tsukuba Science City (Japan)

Tsukuba Science City was initiated by the Japanese government in 1963 when Tokyo was overloaded and the need to develop strategic science and technology industries became increasingly urgent. In 1987, Tsukuba became the country’s largest research center, with more than 60 public institutes, two key universities and hundreds of private laboratories operating in the fields of physics, biology, energy, agriculture and environmental technology.

Tsukuba is currently the place to create many leading scientific projects such as rescue robots, nanomaterials, and clean energy devices. This is also a space for testing Japan’s technology policy. By 2030, Tsukuba aims to become a Global Innovation City – a global innovation center where institutes, schools and businesses jointly develop technology to serve society.

Hsinchu Science Park (Taiwan island)

Hsinchu Science Park was established by Taiwan in 1980 to realize the goal of building an “Asia’s Silicon Valley”. This area is associated with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and two major universities, National Tsing Hua and Chiao Tung (now merged into NYCU), creating a leading research – training – production triangle.

Thanks to preferential policies and synchronous infrastructure, Hsinchu quickly became the center of the global semiconductor industry as the birthplace of pillar businesses such as TSMC and UMC, along with hundreds of satellite companies in the fields of microchips, electronics, optics and new materials. By the end of 2024, this area will have 584 companies, more than 170,000 employees, contributing more than 10% of GDP to the island of Taiwan. In the period to 2035, Hsinchu aims to expand the advanced chip value chain (EUV, AI chips) and develop green and sustainable high-tech urban areas.

One-North (Singapore)

One-North was launched by the Singapore government in 2001 within the framework of the National Science and Technology Strategy, with the goal of building an innovation city connecting research, education, entrepreneurship and life. This area is about 200 hectares wide, located near the National University of Singapore (NUS) and A*STAR Institute, planned according to the “work – live – learn – play” model (work – live – study – play), where researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs can work, study and live in the same space.

With three main axes: Biopolis (biology and biomedicine), Fusionopolis (high technology) and Mediapolis (media and digital creativity), One-North is the innovation capital of Singapore, gathering more than 400 technology businesses, research and development (R&D) centers of corporations such as Shell, Lucasfilm, P&G and thousands of startups. In addition to research and office infrastructure, this area also has housing, schools, commercial centers, and green spaces to maintain a sustainable creative ecosystem. One-North plans to expand into an R&D center in the Asia-Pacific region by 2030, focusing on AI, biotechnology and smart cities.

Silicon Valley (USA)

Silicon Valley is considered a model of the world’s technology city. Formed in the 1950s in the southern region of San Francisco Bay (California), it initially revolved around Stanford University, encouraging lecturers and students to commercialize technological inventions, then gradually became a center for microchip research and production, as well as expanding into other technology fields.

Today, Silicon Valley is a global technology metropolis, converging thousands of businesses and research institutes, from “giants” such as Apple, Google, Intel, Nvidia to tens of thousands of startups. The region contributes about 14% of total US venture capital and is where many fundamental innovations such as microprocessors, the Internet, AI and self-driving cars are created.

Daedeok Innopolis (Korea)

Daedeok Innopolis in Daejeon was initiated in 1973 with the original name Daedeok Science Town before changing its name in 2005. According to the original plan, this place helped redistribute research institutes from Seoul to form a national science and technology center. Government strategic research institutes such as KIST, ETRI, KARI, KRISS and KAIST University – Korea’s leading training and research center – are all concentrated here.

Currently, Daedeok Innopolis has more than 20 state research institutes, 400 technology enterprises and dozens of startup incubation centers. Many national technologies were born from here, such as 5G networks, telecommunications chips, Arirang satellites, industrial robots and new generation battery materials. This technology urban area operates according to the “triple helix” model, which means close cooperation between institutes, schools and businesses. Korea aims to develop Daedeok into a global innovation center in the fields of AI, space, biotechnology and clean energy in the 2030-2040 period.

Zhongguancun (China)

Zhongguancun was formed in the early 1980s in Beijing, initially just “Zhongguancun electronic street”, where engineers and scientists from institutes and schools brought research products for business because the area is home to many famous schools such as Peking University, Tsinghua University and dozens of national research institutes. In 1988, the Chinese government officially established the Beijing High-Tech Industrial Pilot Zone, opening the door to a nationwide high-tech park system. By 2009, this area was upgraded to the Zhongguancun National Innovation Demonstration Zone, playing a core role in China’s science and technology strategy.

Zhongguancun currently has more than 16,000 technology businesses, from Lenovo, Baidu, Xiaomi, ByteDance to thousands of startups and venture capital funds. The region owns a closed value chain including research, training, production, start-up and technology commercialization, making major contributions to the fields of AI, chips, robotics and Internet software.

Shenzhen National High-Tech Zone (Trung Quốc)

Established in 1996 in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Shenzhen National High-Tech Zone is one of China’s first and most dynamic high-tech zones. Initially the zone was just over 11 square kilometers, focusing on electronics, hardware and information technology research, but has now expanded to more than 150 square kilometers, becoming the “technology heart” of the region, closely connected to Shenzhen University, Southern University of Science and Technology and a series of national research institutes.

This technology city currently gathers more than 8,000 businesses such as Huawei, ZTE, DJI, Mindray, BYD – brands that symbolize Chinese technology capacity. In addition to research and production, Shenzhen Hi-Tech Zone also has the strongest innovation center, venture capital fund and startup ecosystem in the country. It continues to lead the way in AI, microchips, robotics, new energy and biotechnology until 2035, while expanding cooperation across Shenzhen – Hong Kong, forming Asia’s leading integrated science city.

Silicon Wadi (Israel)

Silicon Wadi is the name for a technology urban cluster stretching along the Mediterranean coast, including the cities of Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Haifa, Rehovot and Jerusalem, formed in the late 1980s. Originating as a military R&D center and research institute, this area was promoted by the Israeli government through the country’s first venture capital fund Yozma Fund in 1993 to commercialize technology and encourage startups.

An ecosystem linking institutes – schools – businesses, Silicon Wadi quickly became one of the world’s leading high-tech centers. Currently, the region has more than 6,000 startups operating in cybersecurity, semiconductors, AI, medical equipment and defense technology. Large corporations such as Intel, Google, Microsoft, Apple all have R&D centers here. Many famous products were born from Silicon Wadi such as Intel Centrino chip, Waze technology or Mobileye software for self-driving cars.

Sophia Antipolis (France)

Founded in 1969 by French engineer Pierre Laffitte, Sophia Antipolis’s initial goal was to build a “European science valley”, which combines research, training and high-tech industry in a sustainable ecological environment. With an area of ​​more than 2,400 hectares, Sophia Antipolis becomes the first and largest technology urban area in Europe, planned according to an open park model, not separating factories, offices and schools but blending into the natural landscape of the Riviera.

Sophia Antipolis brings together more than 2,500 businesses, including international corporations such as IBM, Orange, Thales, Amadeus and dozens of research institutes and universities (INRIA, CNRS, Université Côte d’Azur). Sophia Antipolis specializes in the fields of energy, biology, materials and smart cities, has created more than 40,000 R&D jobs and is an innovation driver for the south of France. This place aims to develop sustainable digital industry, clean energy and train high-quality technology human resources by 2035.

High Tech Campus Eindhoven (Hà Lan)

High Tech Campus Eindhoven was established in 1998 on the basis of Philips’ NatLab Research Center, with the goal of focusing on R&D in the fields of materials, microelectronics, sensors and optical technology. From Philips’s internal research area, in 2003, this place opened for other units to participate. The Dutch government then identified Brainport along with Rotterdam and Amsterdam as the three national economic pillars, of which Eindhoven is the center of high-tech innovation.

The area is currently more than 100 hectares wide, gathering more than 260 businesses and research institutes with more than 12,000 experts, including big names in the technology field such as ASML, NXP Semiconductors, IBM, Intel, Shimano, and many specialized startups. This area has a full ecosystem of research, training, experimental production, and startups with open labs, testing centers, housing areas and services for experts. Many core technologies develop here, such as EUV photolithography, biomedical sensors, solid-state battery materials and precision robotics.

Dubai Silicon Oasis (UAE)

Dubai Silicon Oasis was established in 2004 under the initiative of the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the goal of building an integrated technology metropolis combining manufacturing, research, education and urban life in the same area. The project is managed by Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) and operates according to the free-zone model, meaning a free economic zone with tax incentives, telecommunications infrastructure and one-stop services for technology businesses. The area is about 7.2 square kilometers, integrating residential, commercial, electronic manufacturing areas, R&D centers and international universities such as Rochester Institute of Technology Dubai.

Dubai Silicon Oasis is home to the headquarters and research center of hundreds of technology businesses in the fields of AI, IoT, microchips, fintech, and smart energy. The district’s startup ecosystem is led by Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtec), the Middle East’s largest incubator and co-working space, which incubates thousands of startups. In addition to digital infrastructure, DSO also has high-end residential areas, commercial centers, hospitals and green spaces, creating a miniature smart city model. This area is being oriented to become a green and sustainable technology city, promoting chip production, clean energy and global export technology services in the 2030-2040 period.