The 2020 World Autonomous Vehicle Ecosystem Conference is held in Shanghai on Sept 14. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn]

Jiading district in Shanghai will build 3,000 5G base stations and open 1,300 kilometers of road for the testing of intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs), which will cover an area of 463 square kilometers and offer full 5G signal coverage, according to Gao Xiang, director of Jiading, in a statement at the 2020 World Autonomous Vehicle Ecosystem Conference in Shanghai on Sept 14.

Gao said that Jiading is in a uniquely strong position to develop the automobile industry. It is home to the Shanghai International Automobile City and the country's first demonstration zone for ICVs. In addition, due to the rapid development of next-generation information technology such as 5G, the city decided to launch an overall plan for the development of new energy vehicles (NEVs) and ICVs.

Gao added that the scale of Jiading's NEV and ICV industries could exceed 100 billion yuan ($14.77 billion) by the end of 2025.

The China-Germany Promotion and Application Center for ICVs was also unveiled at the conference.

Authorities said that the center would help China and Germany deepen cooperation to speed up the development of the automobile industry and build an international industrial ecosystem for ICVs in an effort to turn Shanghai into a world-class center for the automobile industry.

The municipal government also unveiled the Shanghai Intelligent Connected Vehicle Public Data Center at the conference, which will collect data from testing cars and roadside sensors and provide services such as data analysis and early warnings.

Last April, Jiading cooperated with SAIC Motor, Huawei, and China Mobile to begin construction on a 5G smart traffic demonstration zone in the district. The second phase of the zone was launched during the conference.

A number of agreements for cooperation projects revolving around the development of a national pilot area for the internet of vehicles in the Yangtze River Delta region were also inked at the conference, which are expected to place the region at the forefront of China's autonomous driving industry.