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 competencies in establishing itself as a global benchmark city for the digital economy. Beijing's 16 districts and Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area are actively pursuing their 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 framework that highlights the unique features of them.

Establishing a Global Benchmark City of Digital Economy

A Leading Area for Innovation

Beijing is establishing itself as a global benchmark city in terms of the digital economy in an accelerated manner. Haidian District is actively implementing a development strategy that highlights the unique features of each district to position itself as a leading area for innovation in supporting Beijing to achieve this goal through its inclusive computing capabilities, 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 CNY 757.59 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 computing power of 3,500 petaflops to facilitate regional coordinated development through collaborative computing power collaboration.

In terms of data, Beijing Basic Data System Pilot Area was established in Haidian, with 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, leading to the release of over 150 high-quality data sets.

In terms of evaluation, 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 introduced, with the construction of China's first AI innovation application accelerator started and several application demonstration projects launched. The goal is to establish the "top city renowned for its AI panorama empowerment".

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 for the planning and development of a block dedicated to AI innovation. These efforts aim to create an urban intelligent network based on the large model-based thoughts. 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 the development tool chains for software; cultivation of open-source ecosystems; evaluation of network and information security; development of AI-supported software industry; and cultivation of industry-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 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 the computing chip enterprises in China, such as 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-Baed Innovation in Zhongguancun Science City (2024-2026) was released.

IV. Developing Intelligent Manufacturing Industries

Haidian aims to establish a full-process intelligent manufacturing cluster that covers the entire process featuring industrial design, simulation, testing, manufacturing, operation, maintenance, etc., 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, constructing industrial clusters, and fostering industrial ecosystems. 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 comprehensive machine products, 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 from satellite manufacturing to the application of spatiotemporal information. Efforts will be made to drive strategic development, enhance the quality of the industry chain, speed up application implementation, promote technology-based innovation as a driving force, 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 growth of a 6G end-to-end generic technology platform. In terms of future health, the district will focus on two major industrial strategies that aim to develop a pilot area for the AI-empowered medicine and healthcare industries and establish a demonstration area for innovation at the intersection of engineering and healthcare. Efforts will include the development of innovative treatments such as gene cell therapies, high-end medical devices such as medical robots, and the R&D of new AI-driven pharmaceuticals. Haidian will advance AI-supported synthetic biology, drug R&D, medical imaging, brain-computer interface, and other corresponding fields.

Looking ahead, in alignment with the city's unified planning, Haidian will follow Beijing's 2024 working strategies for building a global digital economy benchmark city. Tailored to 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. The goal is to create a series of benchmark technologies, projects, and applications that can serve as models. Through all these efforts, Haidian is striving to establish a leading area for innovation in building a global digital economy benchmark city.

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