Officials pose for a group photo during the signing ceremony confirming plans to build a national measurement and testing center for the IoT-based perception equipment industry in Wuxi on Aug 17. [Photo/ jschina.com.cn]

Wuxi has confirmed plans to build China's first national-level measurement and testing center for internet of things-based perception equipment.

Officials from the Wuxi bureau of quality and technology supervision and Xinwu district government inked a final deal for the project at a signing ceremony in Wuxi on Aug 17.

The new center will be used to check the performance of perception equipment used in the IoT industry, a rapidly growing industry in which Wuxi is a leading player.

Perception equipment—components such as sensors and scanners used to identify bar codes, fingerprints and images—is integral to all IoT devices, and manufacturing perception equipment is a multibillion-dollar industry.

Wuxi is one of China's biggest hubs for the sensor industry and is home to several major industrial parks for sensor manufacturers including the Wuxi MEMS Park.

The new measurement and testing center will provide world-class laboratory facilities to help Wuxi's perception equipment manufacturers refine and quality-check their technology.

A 7,000-square-meter laboratory will be built inside the center, which will contain more than 100 million yuan ($15 million) worth of equipment.

The Wuxi government aims to use the center to make the city an even more attractive destination for IoT companies and investors.

The city's proposal to build the project received final approval from China's State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on Jan 11, 2017.