From AI-driven transport to seamless cashless living, these five city clusters top the Global Innovation Index for their cutting-edge technology and everyday ingenuity.

Between the rapid rise of AI, self-driving cars and green energy going mainstream, innovation is advancing faster than ever. New inventions and patents are emerging from countries and cities across the globe, but a few places stand out as driving the greatest progress.

The 2025 Global Innovation Index (GII), published annually by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), ranks the top countries and metro-city clusters based on criteria including investment patterns, technological progress, adoption rates and overall socioeconomic impact. Collectively, the 100 leading clusters – from San Francisco to Shenzhen – account for more than 70% of global patents and venture capital activity.

We spoke to residents of the top five innovation clusters to discover how technology shapes daily life and how visitors can experience their cutting-edge ideas – often before they reach the rest of the world.

China broke into the GII's top 10 for the first time this year, propelled by its surging number of patents, scientific investment and venture capital growth. It now hosts 24 of the 100 leading clusters in the report, with the South China tech centre of Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou coming in at number one.

In this region, technology is woven into everyday life and innovation is embedded in the culture. Hong Kong resident Jamie River says you can be at a street market where vendors use QR codes for payments next to handwritten price signs, while small shop owners manage their delivery orders through three different apps. "The collision of old and new creates this weird energy where nobody's scared to try stuff," says River, who has lived here for three years.

Hong Kong's Octopus card, which originally launched in 1997 as a payment method for public transport, is now a favourite everyday tech solution that can be used to pay for everything from vending machines to parking meters.

To experience Hong Kong's cutting-edge technology, River recommends visitors take the Star Ferry at night and watch the Symphony of Lights show, which synchronises a musical score with lights, lasers and LED screens across 43 buildings. For a glimpse of creative crossover, PMQ (a former police quarters) now houses studios, shops and cafes. "You'll see 3D-printing workshops next to traditional calligraphy studios," he said.

Top 10 innovation clusters

1. Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou

2. Tokyo-Yokohama

3. San Jose-San Francisco

4. Beijing

5. Seoul

6. Shanghai-Suzhou

7. New York

8. London

9. Boston-Cambridge

10. Los Angeles

Home to global corporations from Huawei to Tencent, Shenzen's transformation from fishing village to tech powerhouse was an intentional move by the Chinese government when it designated the city as its first Special Economic Zone in 1980, offering tax breaks and incentives to spur innovation. Its status as a hub for creativity only grew after it was named a Unesco Creative City in 2008, with investment funding makerspaces such as the Shenzhen Open Innovation Lab.

"This supportive framework enables rapid scaling and experimentation," said Leon Huang, a resident since 2008. "Makerspaces such as the OCT Loft and

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