In the first three quarters of 2023, the research and development (R&D) expenses of enterprises above designated size in the city of Ordos reached 5.84 billion yuan ($800 million), an increase of 27.9 percent year-on-year, maintaining a growth rate of more than 20 percent for 20 consecutive months.

Of these, R&D expenses in the city's coal mining and processing industry, as well as in the chemical materials and chemical product manufacturing industries, reached 1.9 billion yuan and 1.03 billion yuan, respectively, representing year-on-year increases of 46.2 percent and 25.6 percent.

From January to September, the operating income of high-tech enterprises in all industrial enterprises above designated size across the city reached 143.47 billion yuan, accounting for 26 percent of the total industrial revenue. The proportion has been increasing regularly on an annual basis.

Over the same period, the transaction volume of technology contracts in Ordos reached 307 million yuan. The number of high-tech enterprises and technology-based SMEs in the city reached 228 and 312, respectively, while the number of invention patents in the city reached 1,057.

Meanwhile, Ordos achieved five major cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements.

These include the successful completion of the 200,000-ton/year fly ash extraction alumina production line, the mercury-free production of calcium carbide PVC, and the industrial application of coal-based nano-carbon hydrogen fuel technology reaching an internationally advanced level.