Suzhou will invest at least 150 million yuan (US$24.78 million) annually to develop the software industry and increase the sum as the industry expands, officials said on Jan. 6.
The city’s software sales totaled 100.89 billion yuan in 2012, 25.4 percent more than the year before. The software sector boasts the highest growth rate among the eight emerging industries in Suzhou. The 2013 sales figure is not yet available but is expected to top 126 billion yuan, an increase of 25.1 percent.
190 software companies were established in Suzhou in 2013, bringing the total number to 961, and 23 of them have an annual revenue of more than 2 billion yuan.
According to the plan, Suzhou’s software industry will have a total sales income of 175 billion yuan in 2015 and the city has created a special fund to boost the growth of the industry with annual investment of 150 million yuan.
