Tongling Copper Plan for 15th Five-Year Period Targets AI, Fusion and Chip Packaging Materials

The Industry and Information Technology Bureau of Tongling city, Anhui province, has recently opened the draft Copper Industry Development Plan for Tongling for the 15th Five-Year Plan period to public consultation.

The plan proposes forward-looking arrangements for future industries. In the direction of AI computing metals, it aims to expand the application of high-end electronic copper materials into AI servers, high-speed backplanes and optical modules, with breakthroughs targeted in ultra-low-profile copper foil preparation technology, and development of computing metal materials including liquid-cooled copper tubes, 3DVC copper busbars with new heat-dissipation structures, and high-speed copper cable conductors.

In the direction of controlled nuclear fusion and superconducting power, the plan calls for optimizing large-scale preparation processes for superconducting electromagnetic wires and raising production capacity, while accelerating the engineering application of high-stability superconducting materials in magnetic-confinement fusion devices, superconducting energy storage and superconducting fault current limiters.

In next-generation semiconductor packaging materials, it targets breakthroughs in the preparation and purification processes for ultra-high-purity copper of 8N grade and above, and the development of high-purity sputtering targets for advanced packaging, nanoscale copper powder, nano-twinned copper foil and nanocrystalline copper alloys.

For frontier materials used in new energy and quantum technology, the plan urges faster progress in graphene-copper composite high-conductivity cables, copper-based shape memory alloys, copper fiber current collectors and copper-based hydrogen evolution catalytic materials.

The plan calls for precise alignment with the Hefei metropolitan circle, proactively integrating into Hefei's AI computing infrastructure layout and embedding Tongling's computing metal products deeply into Hefei's AI industry cluster. Based on demand lists and supply maps, it aims to match Tongling copper materials with terminal demand in Hefei's new energy vehicle, new display and smart home appliance sectors. Tongling will also actively connect with science and innovation resources in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, building a collaborative innovation model of R&D in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang and commercialization in Tongling, while engaging Yangtze River Delta industrial clusters to ensure products such as high-end electronic copper foil and high-strength, high-conductivity copper alloy strips fit precisely into the regional supply chain.

The plan also aims to cultivate world-class leading enterprises, supporting Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group in enhancing its global resource allocation capabilities and industry clout, sustaining its position on the Fortune Global 500 list and advancing its ranking. It supports the group in building a lights-out factory demonstration line and a zero-carbon copper smelting demonstration plant, and in establishing pilot-level intelligent factories. The plan encourages mergers and acquisitions, resource consolidation and brand output, promoting a transformation from single-focus manufacturing toward platform-based and ecosystem-oriented operations. It also calls for deeper city-enterprise coordinated development, with a normalized communication mechanism and a three-tier service system spanning the city, counties and districts, and industrial parks.