HEFEI, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Huawei has set up a research center in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, aiming for innovation in the areas of 5G, artificial intelligence (AI) and construction of digital government, local authorities said.

The city government said the center would have more cooperation with local universities and scientific research institutes, including the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC).

Huawei's cooperation with USTC began in 1997, when they jointly established an institute of information technology. The two sides have since carried out more than 150 scientific research projects.

Huawei has become the largest employer of USTC graduates over the past years, with over 1,000 alumni now working for the tech giant.

As one of the top universities in China, USTC will have in-depth cooperation with Huawei in various areas including AI, wireless communication, coding technology, speech processing, service robot.