Three cities in the Yangtze River Delta were ranked among China's top five cities with leading artificial intelligence (AI) computing power, according to an assessment report on the development of China's AI computing power that was released on March 28.
Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Hefei were listed first, fourth, and fifth respectively, all of which provide a solid foundation for the development of AI technology.
Boasting a relatively complete AI industrial chain and high-level creativity, the Yangtze River Delta has an advanced layout of three major factors, namely computing power, algorithms, and data. Half of the five national AI open innovation platforms, including Baidu Automatic Driving, Alibaba City Brain, and Tencent Medical Imaging, were located in the region. Hefei in Anhui province is home to numerous high-tech enterprises, including IFlytek, Cambricon, and Unisound.
University of Science and Technology of China, headquartered in Hefei, provides a large number of high-end talents to enterprises in the city. [Photo/stc.edu.cn]
Depending on the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, the cross-region data sharing offers a sustainable power to the implementation of AI. Shanghai has issued an action plan for accelerating the application of public data, creating a clear roadmap for the collection and shared application of public data.
In addition, the city introduced a host of global AI innovation programs at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) held in Shanghai in September 2018. For example, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced at the conference that it is planning to launch their first-ever Asia-Pacific AI research institute in Shanghai. The planned Microsoft Research Asia-Shanghai and the Microsoft-INESA AI Innovation Center in Shanghai also hope to bring world-class AI research capabilities to the city.
A robot plays table tennis with a visitor at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference held in Shanghai from Sept 17 to 19. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Viewed as an excellent test field for AI development, the Yangtze River Delta enjoys exceptional advantages. The diversified industrial layout including security and protection, medical treatment, and education are booming in the region. In recent years, Hefei has made full use of its strengths in scientific research, high-tech talents, and a stable and fair business environment to promote its high-quality economic development.
The Zhangjiang National Innovation Demonstration Zone in Shanghai is an important hub for high-tech companies from China and abroad. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
In the future, Shanghai will make great breakthroughs in the development of core technologies and application scenarios, as well as further cultivate industrial clusters and introduce global science and technology innovation elements to speed up the integrated development of AI and the real economy.