Lenovo Group Ltd became a sponsor of World Expo 2010 Shanghai yesterday, agreeing to provide information technology devices and related services to the event.

Meanwhile, Lenovo, which also sponsored the Beijing Olympics last year, plans to make Shanghai its manufacturing center in the north Asia region, Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo's chief executive, said during a signing ceremony yesterday.

Lenovo, China's biggest personal computer maker, signed agreements with the local government yesterday to become Expo 2010's senior sponsor of computing equipment and system operation services, according to both sides.

Lenovo will provide about 10,000 pieces of computing hardware, including servers, notebooks, desktops, printers and peripherals for Expo 2010.

"With a concrete track record and innovative technologies, Lenovo is well placed to handle such large-scale international events," Yang said.

Lenovo has also provided IT services for the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games.