Amazon launches innovation centre in China to support startups

BEIJING: American e-commerce giant Amazon today launched its first joint innovation service centre in China's eastern Qingdao city to provide technical services to global startups.

The Qingdao-Amazon Web Services (AWS) center, launched by Amazon's cloud-computing arm, aims to provide cloud-computing services -- including web services, new technologies such as cloud-computing and big data, and capital and services support -- to global startups.

AWS Global Vice President and AWS China Executive Director Rong Yongkang said the center would fuel Qingdao's innovation and development.

"In the next five years, the center will work with Qingdao government to support 750 innovation firms," Rong was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency.

The coastal city in Shandong province has been tipped for its strong research and development potential.

Rong said the center would work with the city government to set up a cloud-computing innovation institute to train professionals.

Licang District government in Qingdao has teamed up with Vancoo Commerce Internet Industry (Qingdao) Company Limited, a private local firm, on a one billion yuan (USD 145 million) fund that will support the Amazon centre's innovation services.