The number of artificial intelligence (AI) companies in China has jumped from just over 1,400 to more than 5,000 in the past five years, according to data released by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology at the ongoing World Smart Industry Expo in southwest China's Chongqing City.
China has established more than 40,000 smart factories, 11 national pilot zones for AI innovation and application, and 17 national pilot zones for intelligent connected vehicle testing, said China's Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xin Guobin.
Xin added that a 60 billion yuan (1 yuan = Rp2,302) investment fund for the national AI industry has been launched, equipped with rules on AI ethics, a China-BRICS AI cooperation and development center, and more than 240 standards for core AI technologies.
The 2021 China Internet Development Report revealed that in 2020 there were only 1,454 AI companies in the country.
China is placing great emphasis on the development of its AI industry. In 2017, the State Council issued a development plan for next-generation AI.
In August this year, the government followed up with guidelines on the “AI Plus” initiative, designed to accelerate the development of a smart economy and a smart society characterized by human-machine collaboration, cross-sector integration, and joint innovation.
"The healthy development of China's AI industry stems from learning from the valuable experiences of pioneers and fully utilizing internal advantages, such as abundant data resources, a comprehensive industrial system, a wide range of application scenarios, and huge market potential," said Wan Gang, President of the China Association for Science and Technology.
