Chinese company Chengdu has announced an investment of $700 million in Punjab’s Information Technology (IT) and smart city projects.
The announcement was made during a meeting between Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and a high-level Chinese delegation in Islamabad on Friday. The delegation included Chengdu General Coordinator for ICT Hub Scarlett and Huawei’s Deputy CEO Yu Ray.
The planned projects include the establishment of an e-taxi service and the creation of cloud and data centers at Nawaz Sharif IT City in Lahore. The Punjab government has pledged to provide land and infrastructure for these initiatives.Â
Additionally, the first e-commerce platform in Pakistan will be developed, offering training to youth on global online trade.
Smart city initiatives in Lahore will feature a smart control room, intelligent traffic management systems, smart transport, and a smart sanitation center. In Phase Two, an AI Industry Center will be established to train youth in artificial intelligence technologies.
The Chinese government has committed to supporting platform service capacity-building in Punjab. The collaboration also includes exploring local investments for industrial development as part of Phase Three.
Speaking at the meeting, CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif emphasized the importance of leveraging technology for regional growth. “Punjab will become the largest artificial intelligence hub in the region with China’s cooperation. We aim to empower our youth to excel in the IT sector,” she said.
