DJI Innovation: The “Eye in the Sky” from Shenzhen to the World

As you wander around Nanshan District in Shenzhen, a futuristic asymmetric suspended building will surely catch your eye — this is DJI Innovation’s global headquarters, “Sky City”, a window through which this tech giant, born in Shenzhen, showcases China’s innovative power to the world. For foreign tourists who love technology and exploration, understanding DJI is the key to grasping the charm of Shenzhen as a “city of technological innovation”.

In 2006, Wang Tao, a graduate of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and his team founded DJI in a small apartment in Lianhua Village, Shenzhen. With only 4 members initially, the team, driven by their passion for aerial imaging, embarked on a journey to disrupt the global drone industry. At that time, the global drone market was monopolized by foreign brands, mostly confined to the professional aeromodeling field, and inaccessible to ordinary consumers. The emergence of DJI not only broke this pattern but also redefined the connotation of “Made in China” — from imitation and following to leading innovation.

DJI’s core competitiveness stems from its relentless pursuit of R&D. As the enterprise with the largest drone R&D team in the world, 25% of its employees are engaged in R&D, with a total of over 8,600 patent applications, building a solid technical barrier. The core flight control system has a response time as low as 0.01 seconds, keeping the drone stable even in level 8 winds; the self-developed Flytonami obstacle avoidance system is equipped with 15 sets of visual sensors, achieving 360-degree obstacle perception with a pass rate of over 95% in complex environments. These cutting-edge technologies have transformed flying from an “exclusive skill” of professionals into a pleasure accessible to everyone.

In 2012, DJI launched the world’s first all-in-one aerial photography drone, the Phantom 1. Its integrated design and ready-to-fly convenience completely opened up the non-professional drone market, capturing 70% of the global market share just one year later. Today, DJI’s product matrix covers consumer, industrial, educational and other fields: the Mavic series foldable drones are lightweight and portable, with a battery life of up to 46 minutes, and paired with Hasselblad cameras, they have become essential tools for travel photographers; the Inspire series, with its professional imaging capabilities, frequently appears in film and television shooting, event live broadcasting and other scenarios; the industrial-grade Matrix 350 RTK drone, with centimeter-level positioning accuracy, is widely used in power inspection and emergency rescue, setting a global record for the highest-altitude transportation of civil drones in the Mount Everest high-altitude transportation test.

Beyond drones, DJI has also achieved remarkable success in the handheld imaging field. Products such as the Osmo mobile gimbal and Action sports camera, with excellent anti-shake performance and intelligent shooting functions, allow ordinary users to easily take professional-level images. The RoboMaster series educational robots integrate programming and artificial intelligence knowledge into fun competitions, opening the door to technological exploration for teenagers around the world.

From a small office in Shenzhen Xili Pioneer Park to a global enterprise with business in more than 100 countries and regions, DJI has achieved a counterattack from a follower to a leader in less than 20 years. Today, it holds over 80% of the global consumer drone market share, and even in the face of international policy challenges, it still stands firm with its technical strength. For foreign tourists, visiting DJI Sky City not only allows them to experience the charm of cutting-edge technology up close but also witness the legendary mutual achievement of a city and an enterprise — Shenzhen’s industrial advantages and innovative atmosphere have nurtured DJI, and DJI has used world-leading technology to brand the city as a “tech card”.

Here, every drone taking off carries the concept of “The Future of Possible”; every technological breakthrough writes a new chapter in China’s technological innovation. DJI is no longer just a drone company, but a bright business card that Shenzhen presents to the world, waiting for every explorer to discover.