Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for enhanced international exchange and cooperation in the development of the Big Data industry in a congratulatory letter to the China International Big Data Industry Expo 2018 in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province, which is vigorously promoting the big data industry. The rapid development of new-generation information technologies such as the internet, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) has a significant and far-reaching impact on social and economic development , state governance, social management, and people’s life in all countries, Xi said. He added that more communication and cooperation is needed in the big data sector to handle challenges such as data security and cyberspace governance.

China is implementing a national big data strategy centered on building the country’s strength in cyberspace and nurturing a digital China and smart society, which will aid the transition of the country’s economy from high-speed growth to high-quality development, President Xi said. China is expected to become the world’s largest data owner by 2020, accounting for 20% of global data. Information technologies are playing an increasingly important role in fueling economic growth. In 2017, China’s digital economy accounted for CNY27.2 trillion, or 32.9% of gross domestic product (GDP), according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. Lin Nianxiu, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said that China will boost the application of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and blockchain.

The latest 5G technology and the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), the world’s largest radio telescope, were two of the highlights of the 2018 China International Big Data Expo in Guiyang. The global event exhibited 51 cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements and more than 1,000 cutting-edge products and technologies. Held for the fourth time since 2015, the expo attracted a record 47,000 representatives, including 536 overseas attendees from 28 countries and 388 big data companies. Guizhou Huaxintong Semiconductor Technology Co, a joint venture between Qualcomm and the Guizhou provincial government, exhibited the first-generation server chip, built using an advanced chip manufacturing process with an accuracy of 10 nanometers.

Guizhou is constructing a national big data demonstration center in Guiyang and the inauguration ceremony of the Apple iCloud China (Gui’an) Data Center Project was held in the Guian New Area last week. Apple will invest USD1 billion in the project, the China Daily reports. Guizhou has more than 8,900 big data enterprises with a total output value exceeding CNY110 billion and announced 100 key investment projects in the sector.