Tencent unveils major investment plans in Wuhan

Tencent Holdings Ltd has announced a string of investment plans in Wuhan, the city where the novel coronavirus first emerged and which has just lifted months-long lockdown.

The internet giant pledged to invest in digital government, online education, smart transportation and artificial intelligence in the city, with a goal of quadrupling the number of employees in five years.

Tencent will push ahead with the Tencent (Wuhan) Digital Industry Headquarters in the city, where it aims to embark on digital governance and smart city initiatives.

The company plans to establish a smart education base, expanding the scale of an online education platform to have 4,000 employees in three years. It is also eyeing to set up an offline experience center in Wuhan, which it then hopes to spread across the country.

In terms of transportation, Tencent will embark on establishing a smart transportation base and foster digital talents in the auto sector together with Dongfeng Motor Group.

Tencent Cloud's artificial intelligence lab, specialized in research and application of AI- products, will be launched. A cybersecurity academy will also be launched in the city.

During the initial outbreak, Tencent Foundation announced to dedicate 300 million yuan to combat the virus. It then raised the amount to 1.5 billion yuan.