IF you are starting up a business in hardware, you should seriously consider basing your company in Shenzhen, China’s Silicon Valley, for this is the place where you can achieve rapid prototyping and manufacturing. The idea of Shenzhen speed has permeated into every aspect of the city’s life, as sellers will work late into the night and during weekends and holidays to answer any questions about the product specs and customization, and help send out express deliveries of in-stock components that can be received within hours of placing an order. In Shenzhen, there is an entire ecosystem around hardware. Top chip suppliers from the U.S. and Europe, like ST Micro, Nvidia, and Intel, have offices in Shenzhen. It’s convenient to work directly with their technical teams and integrate their chips into your product. China’s homegrown chips are also developing rapidly. By 2019, 10 out of the world’s top 50 IC designers were from China, per data from Cogobuy. Huaqiangbei, the world’s largest electronics market, is the only place where you can buy 20 different displays within a day to be placed in your prototype to find out the best choice in terms of cost-efficiency. Shenzhen has offered generous support for grassroots innovation, with the government providing workshops, low-interest loans, and equipment and arranging for tech fairs. This has in turn brought in venture capital firms, trying to spot the next big thing in the tech field. When I first came to China 20 years ago, “Made in China” was something that represented low quality. Now when I compare a BYD electric car, a Nanoleaf smart light or a DJI drone with products from Western countries, I feel these Shenzhen brands are of better quality, although they may sell for a cheaper price. Alain Garner via email | 