Guangdong province, a major economic driver in southern China, has announced a series of measures to propel its artificial intelligence (AI) industry forward. The 45 initiatives aim to establish Guangdong as a leader in AI development and application by 2027.
The plan outlines significant growth targets for the province’s AI sector. By next year, the industry’s value is expected to reach 300 billion yuan (US$41.4 billion), representing 2.3% of Guangdong’s GDP. This figure is projected to climb to 440 billion yuan (US$61.8 billion) by 2027, accounting for 3.3% of the province’s GDP.
Computing power is another key focus area. Guangdong aims to exceed 40 exaflops by next year and 60 exaflops by 2027. Exaflops measure a computer’s processing speed, indicating the number of floating-point operations it can perform in one second. These goals would position Guangdong as a significant contributor to China’s national computing power target of 300 exaflops by 2025, potentially capturing roughly 13% of the country’s total computing capacity.
The measures emphasize integrating AI across diverse sectors. This includes social governance, the digital economy, and industrial innovation. Applications are envisioned in areas ranging from manufacturing to education and senior care.
The strategic push seeks to establish a comprehensive AI industrial chain within Guangdong. This encompasses chip development and sourcing, building computational infrastructure, designing algorithms, and deploying AI-powered applications.
Guangdong’s initiative reflects China’s broader ambition to become a global AI leader. The country is actively pursuing advancements in generative AI technologies, similar to ChatGPT, to fuel economic growth and compete with the United States.
US tech restrictions aimed at curbing China’s technological development have further intensified the focus on domestic innovation. These restrictions include limiting exports of advanced semiconductor chips and technologies to China.
In response, Guangdong plans to bolster its AI chip development efforts. The province aims to foster an innovative AI chip ecosystem, exploring research and application possibilities in integrated memory and computation, brain-inspired computing, chiplets, and instruction sets.
The plan acknowledges the importance of talent cultivation and policy support. Financial backing for the AI sector will be bolstered through provincial and city funds, while regulations for trustworthy AI products and services will be formulated. Additionally, talent attraction programs and critical skills training initiatives are designed to establish a robust AI workforce within Guangdong.
With its ambitious plan and focus on fostering a comprehensive AI ecosystem, Guangdong is poised to play a leading role in China’s AI development strategy. The coming years will reveal how effectively the province navigates the challenges and capitalizes on the opportunities presented in this rapidly evolving technological landscape.
