ByteDance’s short-video platform Douyin is stepping up its investment in southern China, launching construction of a second headquarters in Shenzhen’s Nanshan district as part of a broader push into artificial intelligence and enterprise services.

The new complex, officially described as a “pan-video technology R&D headquarters”, is located in the Yuehai sub-district of Nanshan and will serve as Douyin’s second main base after its Beijing headquarters.

The project was announced alongside the start of construction on 222 major investment projects in Shenzhen on Jan.5, with a combined investment of about 157.34 billion yuan ($21.9 billion), according to local government disclosures.

The new headquarters will support research and development for Douyin, Toutiao and other core ByteDance products, as well as newer businesses including payments and software-as-a-service platforms.

ByteDance will also build an AI Lab research centre at the site, expanding its work in artificial intelligence, along with a SaaS platform services centre aimed at enterprise clients.

Shenzhen, a key technology hub in southern China, has been competing with Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou to attract major internet and artificial intelligence players by offering policy support, talent incentives and large-scale industrial projects.