Leaner, keener — OPCs altering way we work

Powerful tools

Zhang Chenchen is a screenwriter based in Shanghai. It took her six years to have one of her works debut on a local TV station, and eight years for another to be picked up by an online video platform.

It often takes years for a script to go from a concept to the screen, with dozens of revisions unavoidable. But now, with AI video generation tools, it is possible to produce in a single day audiovisual material lasting up to 10 minutes, said Zhang.

"It was impossible for ordinary people to come up with TV series, which need the collaboration of directors, actors, and cinematographers, among others. That means stratospheric costs. But everyone can produce a film or TV series by using AI," she said.

At the end of last year, Shanghai-based AI giant SenseTime launched its AI video generation platform, Seko.

Zhang tried entering prompts and debugging the storyboard with the tool. One week later, she decided to set up her own OPC. Shortly after Spring Festival, she moved into an OPC community in central Shanghai's Xuhui district.

She is now preparing her first AI-powered short drama series. "The script failed to be sold years ago. But luckily, it will become my own IP with the help of AI," she said.

Zhang Yunyun set up her own OPC in Lingang Special Area in eastern Shanghai late last year. With the help of OpenClaw, she built a stand-alone internet literature website within two days on her own, targeting readers overseas.

"There are options, like hiring freelancers. But the interface churned out by OpenClaw is more refined and its performance is more complete," she said.

But there is one drawback of using AI — Zhang quickly used up all the free compute power. "Compute power is expensive. It is way too easy to burn through," she said.

In early April, Lin-gang administration introduced special measures that entitle every OPC to a free computing quota of 100 GPU-card-hours over half a month. The amount is enough to train a mid-sized AI model prototype and test whether a product is feasible for investment, a process that typically takes about two weeks.

However, the amount of compute power will soon be insufficient as OPCs become increasingly reliant on agent tools in their daily activities, said Shen Zhen, general manager of China Telecom's Lin-gang branch.

Costs are going to take off, and are expected to top 8,000 yuan per person every month, he said.

"This will be a huge burden for OPCs that are just getting started. Therefore, compute subsidies are essential for supporting the development of these entities," he said.

Honghub's Zhou said an OPC can be defined as a "complex" comprised of one person and AI infrastructure. In this context, compute power can be considered part of the AI infrastructure.

Aware of this, local governments have stepped in to build OPC communities and industrial parks where subsidies and free compute power are provided.

Compute power coupons, model vouchers, and corpus subsidies provided to OPCs in Zhangjiang Science City — a national-level innovation hub in eastern Shanghai — were the major reasons for Kong Xiangyu setting up his education-focused OPC in the location.

"These are basically the biggest concerns for OPCs at the very early stage as they incur the most costs. With these barriers removed, OPCs can make more aggressive moves," Kong said.