Beijing is home to China's largest AI, blockchain, IT innovation, industrial Internet, and other core industries. The city highlights the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries while fostering innovation-driven enterprises. It boasts prominent competitiveness in establishing itself as a global benchmark city for digital economy. Beijing's 16 districts and Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area are actively pursui7ng their respective development strategies, leveraging local advantageous resources to develop their digital economy sectors. These districts concentrate on benchmark projects and support leading industries to efficiently establish a new digital economy development landscape that highlights their unique features.

Establishing a Leading Area for Innovation of Benchmark City for Global Digital Economy

As Beijing accelerates its steps to establishing itself as a benchmark city for global digital economy, Haidian District is actively materializing the goal with its pioneering and innovative efforts. It is implementing a development strategy that highlights its unique features, leveraging its inclusive computing power, high-quality data, and pioneering application scenarios. In the first half of 2024, the added value of the digital economy in Haidian accounted for over 60 percent of the district's GDP. The revenue from the software information industry reached RMB757.59 billion, marking a 16 percent year-on-year increase and constituting approximately 64 percent of the total revenue generated by the software information industries citywide. Additionally, 58 enterprises were recognized as municipal-level benchmark enterprises in the digital economy, with three being distinguished as global digital economy benchmark enterprises.

I. Establishing an AI Industry Hub

In terms of computing power, Haidian has deployed a computing power of 3,500 petaflops to foster regional collaboration and coordination.

In terms of data, the Beijing Basic Data System Pilot Area was established in Haidian, with the Beijing AI Data Operation Platform launched. These initiatives aim to establish a usage model based on open sources, cooperation and sharing, and the integration of data and computing power. To date, a total of over 150 high-quality datasets have been released.

In terms of evaluation, the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI) was established with a focus on Chinese computing chips and large models. It seeks to create scientific, fair, and transparent evaluation standards, methods, and toolsets to assess the performance of Chinese chip clusters and multi-dimensional large models.

In terms of applications, the AI Panoramic Empowerment Action Plan for Zhongguancun Science City (2024–2026) has been published, with the construction of China's first AI innovation application accelerator started and several application demonstration projects launched. The goal is to make Zhongguancun China’s first AI empowerment hub.

In terms of ecosystem, key events such as the first AI Day at the 2024 ZGC Forum Annual Conference and the 2024 BAAI Conference were organized. Meanwhile, efforts have been made to plan and develop a block dedicated to AI innovation. These efforts aim to create an urban intelligent network based on the large model thinking. Currently, Haidian is home to approximately 1,300 AI enterprises, including 26 unicorns, representing about 70 percent of the total number of the city's AI enterprises. There are over 100 entities involved in issues related to large models and this number has been growing. Notably, 57 large models have been registered, representing 70 percent of the city's total and nearly one-third of China's total.

II. Accelerating Innovative Growth of Software Information Industry

Haidian is set to facilitate the operation of Zhongguancun Software Innovation Center, with a focus on achieving breakthroughs in seven key areas: independent software innovation that spans basic, industry-specific, and industrial software; verification of software and hardware compatibility; improvement of software development tool chains; cultivation of open-source ecosystems; evaluation of network and information security; development of AI-supported software industry; and cultivation of chain-leading enterprises. These efforts aim to accelerate the emergence of new quality productive forces in the software industry and bolster China's new industrialization and modern industrial system. Furthermore, efforts have been strengthened for the innovation breakthroughs of cutting-edge database technologies. The district supports innovators to make progress in critical core technologies, including cloud-native distributed hybrid databases, centralized relational databases, and integrated lakehouse databases. Additionally, the construction of the National Cybersecurity Industrial Park (Haidian) will be accelerated, while the Beijing Data Cross-Border Service Center (Zhongguancun Science City Service Station) will be put into operation soon. These establishments will offer one-stop services for enterprises, encompassing cross-border transfer of data, data security-related product services, personnel certification and training, and inspection and testing. The objective is to optimize the business environment for the digital economy.

III. Nourishing Integrated Circuit Design Industry

An agile design and application platform for industry-level RISC-V chips will be established, targeting vertical domains such as automotive chips, industrial control chips, and security chips. Efforts will be made to accelerate the deep integration of China’s computing chip enterprises like Moore Threads and enterprises specializing in large models. The 8th "Chip Power Beijing" Zhongguancun IC Industry Forum was held with the district's support, with Phase II of the IC Park completed at the same time. The IC Park's Generic Technology Service Center will collaborate with Zhongfa Xince and the National Engineering Lab. for DTV (Beijing) to establish a joint laboratory. Furthermore, the Action Plan for Integrated Circuit Chip-Based Innovation in Zhongguancun Science City (2024–2026) was released.

IV. Developing Intelligent Manufacturing Industries

Haidian aims to establish an intelligent manufacturing cluster that covers the entire process including industrial design, simulation, testing, manufacturing, operation, maintenance and so on to provide full-stack intelligent manufacturing solutions. The focus will be on achieving breakthroughs in independent innovation, promoting leading products, empowering innovation platforms, demonstrating application scenarios, and fostering industrial clusters and rainforest-like environments. The district has also released the Three-Year Action Plan for Building a National Embodied Intelligent Innovation Hub, which emphasizes the elements of "brain", "cerebellum", "body", and "system". Leveraging advancements in AI technology, particularly in large models, and propelled by the development of robotics and other complete machines, the district aims to create a source of embodied intelligence innovation and an application demonstration hub with global influence.

V. Advancing Clustered Development of Aerospace Industry

The Action Plan for Building a Commercial Aerospace Innovation Hub in Haidian District (2024–2028) has been released, with a focus on the entire industry chain spanning satellite manufacturing and the application of spatiotemporal information. Efforts will be made to map out guiding strategies, enhance the quality of the industry chain, promote application in more scenarios, foster technology and innovation-driven development, and optimize the environment for innovation within the aerospace sector. These actions are designed to continuously improve and strengthen the competitive advantages of the aerospace information industry and to accelerate the establishment of a new industrial cluster valued at hundreds of billions.

VI. Making Plans for Future Industries

In terms of quantum science and technologies, Haidian will rely on quantum science and technology incubators and industrial parks to fully support the commercialization of achievements made by universities and new-type R&D institutions. The district aims to gradually form an industrial framework centered around quantum computing while influencing quantum communication and precision measurement. In terms of 6G, support will be given to entities such as ZGC Institute of Ubiquitous-X Innovation and Applications (ZGC X-NET) to build an innovation platform that fuses communication, sensing, computing, and intelligence for the 6G-related sectors, further promoting the development of a 6G end-to-end generic technology platform. In terms of future health, the district will focus on two major industrial strategies, including developing a pilot zone for AI-empowered medicine and healthcare industries and establishing a demonstration area for medical engineering industries. Priorities will be given to the development of innovative medicines for purposes like gene cell therapies, high-end medical devices such as medical robots, and the R&D of new AI-driven pharmaceuticals. Haidian will keep advancing AI-supported synthetic biology, drug R&D, medical imaging, brain-computer interface, and other corresponding fields.

Looking ahead, Haidian District will work with innovative and pioneering efforts to make the city a global digital economy benchmark in alignment with Beijing's unified planning and 2024 work priorities in this regard. Considering its unique circumstances, the district will focus on several key areas: digital technology innovation, digital industry development, new digital infrastructure, use of data elements for value creation, and digital city construction to create a series of benchmark technologies, projects, and applications that can serve as models. 

(Source: Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology)