Abstract: The digital economy serves as a pivotal driver for achieving high-quality economic development and enhancing international competitiveness.It provides the technological foundation for the cross-pollination of innovative ideas and the evolution of innovation models,thereby facilitating the establishment of a comprehensive innovation system centered on scientific and technological innovation.Based on the perspective of urban agglomerations,this study employs panel data from 199 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2022 to empirically examine the impact andmechanisms of the digital economy on digital technology innovation.The results indicate that:(1) The digital economy significantly promotes digital technology innovation in urban agglomerations by improving information flow efficiency,facilitating the sharing and integration of technological resources,and enhancing internal innovation capacity.(2) The impact of the digital economy on digital technology innovation varies significantly across different types of urban agglomerations and geographical regions,reflecting differentiated responses to digital economic development and underscoring the need for targeted policy support and resource allocation.(3) Improvements in the market environment and the expansion of market potential represent important pathways through which the digital economy influences urban digital technology innovation.This study reveals the mechanisms and regional heterogeneity of the digital economy in promoting digital technology innovation in urban agglomerations,thereby enriching research on the relationship between the digital economy and technological innovation while providing empirical evidence to support policymakers in formulating differentiated innovation policies tailored to the specific characteristics and needs of different cities.

Key words: digital economy, digital technology innovation, urban agglomeration, spatial spillover effects