A robot is pictured at the 8th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 29, 2025. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- China's digital economy has witnessed sustained enhancement in quality and efficiency, new breakthroughs in technological innovation, and significant upgrade in digital infrastructure, according to latest figures released by relevant ministries and research institutions.
-- Stable growth with quality enhancement
The recently-released Digital China development index saw double-digit growth in five of the primary indicators, signaling China's more robust next-generation infrastructure, deeper integration between technological and industrial innovation, as well as the accelerated upgrading in data resource exploitation and application.
The index registered 150.51 in 2024, up 10.65 percent year on year.
The Digital China Development Report (2024), which was recently issued by the National Data Administration, reaffirms the growth momentum of China's digital development.
In 2024, the added value of core digital economy sectors accounted for approximately 10 percent of China's GDP, marking enhanced quality and efficiency in digital economic growth, according to the report.
A notable highlight in China's digital landscape is the vitality exemplified by the rise of digital economy unicorn enterprises. According to a recent report on the development of digital economy unicorns, in 2024, China's digital economy unicorns are distributed across four areas including digital technology applications, digital efficiency enhancement, digital factors-driven sectors, and digital product manufacturing and services, each accounting for roughly a quarter of the total.
This reflects China's balanced and comprehensive development landscape in terms of digital economy, with digital transformation extending across all segments of the real economy, fostering a diversified and integrated innovation ecosystem, according to Hu Jianbo, head of the National Data Administration's national institute for data development.
-- Technological innovation reaches new heights
China represented 61.5 percent of the 45,000 generative artificial intelligence (AI) patents newly published worldwide in 2024, according to the aforementioned Digital China Development Report.
In particular, large model technologies are consistently evolving, with steady improvements in performance and application. A growing number of companies are expediting the rollout of new technologies and products, driving the emergence of new trends and models in digital consumption.
For instance, China FAW Group recently unveiled an enterprise-level AI agent called OpenMind, which is developed based on Alibaba's Tongyi large model.
The automotive industry is undergoing unprecedented digital-intelligent transformation, as AI agents are now capable of handling day-to-day operations, policy consultation, knowledge retrieval and other tasks, greatly enhancing corporate operation efficiency, according to a representative of FAW.
In 2024, the number of Chinese companies developing or applying AI grew by 36 percent year-on-year, while those leveraging large models surged by 57.21 percent and 37.14 percent in data technology and data application sectors, respectively, according to the National Data Resource Survey Report (2024).
-- Digital infrastructure on the rise
China is rapidly strengthening its digital infrastructure, as the rapid adoption of AI has brought more demand.
Statistics show that by the first quarter of 2025, the total computing power of the eight data computing hubs of the "east data, west computing" project had reached 215.5 EFLOPS, with intelligent computing power accounting for 80.8 percent.
Overall, the National Data Resource Survey Report reveals that China's intelligent computing power has increased to accounting for 32 percent of the country's total computing power in 2024.
As of the end of March this year, the number of 5G base stations in China reached 4.395 million, and the number of 10G PON ports capable of providing gigabit network services reached 29.25 million.
Looking ahead, China will systematically advance the layout of its digital infrastructure. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has outlined plans to expand the coverage of gigabit networks and gradually upgrade 5G networks.
Additionally, efforts will be made to enhance the autonomous supply capacity of advanced computing power and promote the interconnection of cloud, network, edge, and terminal computing facilities. Key research into next-generation internet technologies will also play a key role in reinforcing the digital foundation for economic and social development. (Edited by Yu Huichen with Xinhua Silk Road, yuhuichen@xinhua.org)
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