The 2023 ZGC Forum [Photo via Beijing Daily]

At the 2023 ZGC Forum, Beijing's groundbreaking achievements in establishing itself as a global pacesetter in the digital economy take center stage. Among these accomplishments, the exhibition area featuring six leading engineering projects (namely the creation of an urban space operating system, an urban supercomputing center, Beijing International Data Exchange, the all-scenario demonstration project of high-level autonomous driving operation, the establishment of cross-system digital medical demonstration center, and the creation of digital communities) vividly showcase the remarkable intermediate progress Beijing has made in its quest to become a global leader in the digital economy.

The project of the creation of an urban space operating system has successfully developed the application scenario of "Unified Management via a Single Website", which encompasses an extensive range of data resources, including over 700 million records and 800,000 files across ten categories.

In addressing the critical issues associated with computing capabilities, Beijing has embarked on a comprehensive plan to establish a city-wide supercomputing center, with a particular emphasis on developing the artificial intelligence industry and coordinating the computing capabilities. At present, two municipal-level computing centers have already been deployed in Haidian District and Chaoyang District, alongside four commercial computing centers situated in districts such as Shijingshan District and Fengtai District. Additionally, the city is home to over 80 registered data centers, collectively housing more than 300,000 racks.

Beijing International Data Exchange, as China's first data exchange adopting a novel trading model that "makes available data invisible while enabling controlled and quantifiable usage", is poised to establish itself as a prominent data trading hub within China, while also assuming a crucial role as a major hub for cross-border data flow in the world.

The all-scenario demonstration project of high-level autonomous driving operation has successfully orchestrated the integration of "vehicles, roads, clouds, networks, maps" and other resources, encompassing a demonstration zone spanning 60 square kilometers, 329 intersections, and 750 kilometers of two-way urban roads. Similarly, the cross-system digital medical demonstration center project has achieved remarkable milestones, connecting 44 medical institutions and amassing a wealth of data, including 374,392 patient cases and the health information of 47.71 million individuals, as well as the completion of two municipal-level pilot platforms. The project also has spurred the application and commercialization of health data, facilitating advancements in the healthcare industry. Moreover, the digital communities construction project, with Huitian Area (an area covering sub-districts including Huilongguan, Tiantongyuan, etc.) as the pilot area has launched 108 application scenarios addressing 60 community-relevant needs. The mini program "Huitian Linli" has garnered nearly 100,000 registered users, empowering grassroots community management and public services through data provision. Notably, this project has been at the forefront of exploring digital governance models for mega-urban communities.

Last year, the digital economy in Beijing made significant strides, generating an added value of CNY 1.7 trillion, which accounted for 41.6 percent of the city's GDP. Building on this momentum, the first quarter of this year witnessed further growth, with the digital economy contributing an added value of CNY 426.57 billion, accounting for 42.9 percent of GDP. Apparently, the digital economy has emerged as a crucial engine propelling the high-quality development of Beijing's economy.

(Source: Beijing Daily)