Sichuan province is set to boost sci-tech innovation to deliver more "Made in Sichuan" breakthroughs and build a modern industrial system over the next five years, Governor Shi Xiaolin said on Monday.

Shi made the remarks at a news conference on Sichuan's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), noting that the province will strengthen its pillar industries, including electronic information, equipment manufacturing, food and light textiles, and energy and chemicals, as well as national-level advanced manufacturing clusters such as aerospace and biomedicine.

The province will also develop emerging and future industries, such as the low-altitude economy, quantum technology, hydrogen energy and nuclear fusion, with "AI Plus" as the top innovation initiative to foster new forms of smart economy, she said.

"Thanks to national strategic deployment and years of accumulation, Sichuan has built unique strengths in innovation resources and achieved a number of exciting and proud results," Shi said.

These include the world's first artificial intelligence large model science satellite, the Hualong One nuclear reactor, Chinese Meridian Project Phase II, the J-20 stealth fighter, and a 50-megawatt heavy-duty gas turbine, she added.

By the end of 2025, Sichuan was home to 19,000 national high-tech companies and 29,000 small and medium-sized technology firms, with value-added output in high-tech manufacturing, AI and the low-altitude economy maintaining double-digit growth, according to Shi.

In the low-altitude economy sector, the first phase of Aerofugia's global headquarters in Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone is scheduled to become operational in the second half of this year. The facility will be used for the mass production of its AE200 series of electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.

The eVTOL developer has signed strategic cooperation agreements with several partners, securing orders for 1,000 units of its AE200 model, said Fei Lan, Aerofugia's marketing director.

"The first-phase validation test flights for the AE200-100 mass production model have been successfully completed, and Aerofugia is now fully focused on obtaining airworthiness certification," she said.

In the aerospace sector, Sichuan boasts a complete industry chain covering satellite and rocket manufacturing, tracking and control, launch sites, and satellite applications and services. Official data showed that the total output value of the province's aerospace industry reached 50 billion yuan ($7.36 billion) last year.

By the end of this year, a reusable rocket production and testing base belonging to rocket startup iSpace, also known as the Interstellar Glory Aerospace Science and Technology Co, is scheduled to be completed in Chengdu's Shuangliu district and put into use in the first half of 2027.

Xie Fang, head of iSpace's Sichuan branch office, said the facility will have an annual capacity to assemble and test 20 SQX-3 carrier rockets.

"The Shuangliu base serves as a core hub and production powerhouse in iSpace's national layout," Xie said, adding that the company will leverage Sichuan's aerospace supply chain and policy support to strengthen its reusable rocket production capabilities and help the province become a national leader in the commercial space sector.

Lu Songming, director of the Sichuan provincial science and technology department, said the province will strive to tackle key theoretical and technical bottlenecks constraining industrial development, with initial efforts focused on AI, low-altitude intelligence, nuclear medicine and high-end aviation equipment this year.

Sichuan will also improve its gradient incubation system for tech enterprises while rolling out targeted policies to boost companies' R&D investment, Lu said.

The aim is to raise the number of high-tech enterprises among every 10,000 industrial firms above designated size — those with an annual revenue of at least 20 million yuan — from more than 800 to more than 900 by 2030, while nurturing more "gazelles", "unicorns" and tech leaders, he added.