A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of an internet R&D and intelligent operations center took place in Guangzhou on April 27.

The 20-million-yuan ($2.9-billion) Cisco (Guangzhou) Smart City Project will be the US tech company's largest internet R&D project outside of North America.

The ceremony was attended by Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, Senior Vice-President and CEO of Cisco Greater China Owen Chan, together with Cisco partners and clients.

The groundbreaking marks China's first smart city project to begin construction and will further explore opportunities in areas including smart manufacturing and innovative economy. Upon completion, the project will be set as an example of smart city to lead and drive industrial development nationwide.

Located in the core area of Guangzhou and adjoining Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Cisco plans to ally with its global partners to develop technology related to internet of things (IoT), as well as create an IoT cloud platform to serve industry.

The US-headquartered company will accelerate its construction of supportive infrastructure and actively support the project, enabling the city become a more promising center by offering skills training and innovation platforms to bring new products and job opportunities for skilled workers in the region.

CEO of Cisco Chuck Robbins makes an address at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Cisco (Guangzhou) Smart City Project held in Panyu district on April 27. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"Cisco and China have partnered together for over 20 years to create an environment that embraces innovation to drive growth and digital transformation," Robbins said.

The Guangdong province capital is now pursuing an innovation-driven development strategy in an effort to become the country's technology innovation center.

"Today marks an important moment in our history," Robbins added. "Cisco will fully utilize its rich experience in smart manufacturing and deliver the opportunities of digitization."

The project will expand the city's international cooperation and serve the construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area city cluster.