The China International Big Data Industry Expo 2018 will focus on the deep integration of big data and the real economy - and set up a big data international cooperation mechanism for the Belt and Road Initiative to make a contribution to the development of the global big data industry.

Guiyang, capital of southwestern Guizhou province, will host the expo from May 26 to 29.

It is the fourth time for the province to hold the world's premier expo themed on big data, which serves as a platform to exchange the latest information worldwide.

Li Zaiyong, a member of the standing committee of the CPC Guizhou Provincial Committee, Guizhou's executive deputy governor, and Guiyang Party chief, said on Feb 28 that this year's expo will attract more than 50,000 participants and 400 enterprises, including Apple, Intel, Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, Huawei and China's three major telecom operators - China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom.

Exhibitors will showcase the latest applications in artificial intelligence, blockchain, social management, industry innovation, and smart city and sharing economy sectors.

Frontier technologies behind big data collection, storage, integration and management, will also feature.

The supercomputing technology that processes astronomical big data collected by China's FAST radio telescope - the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope - will be showcased for the first time at the expo.

Applications for fifth-generation mobile communications technology, as well as the latest research writings on big data, will also be released.

Academics, professionals and the leaders of international big data companies will discuss development trends on five high-level dialogues: on the themes of AI, data security, the internet of everything, sharing economy and poverty alleviation.

Six themed pavilions - international, digital applications, frontier technology, digital hardware, innovation and entrepreneurship, and digital experience - will showcase the latest technology products in the big data sector. There, attendees can experience products using AI, virtual and augmented reality.

The expo also will feature a Belt and Road pavilion for international partner cities.

To strengthen communication between domestic and overseas AI enthusiasts, a global AI competition began on Jan 19, attracting more than 1,000 international teams.

Competition organizers set up six different divisions in China, the United States and Israel. The finals will be held in Guiyang on May 25 and the winning projects will be revealed at the expo.

According to official statistics, the total revenue of big data companies in Guiyang hit 80 billion yuan ($12.8 billion) last year, achieving growth of 21 percent year-on-year.

"Guizhou is making efforts to develop the big data industry and cultivate its businesses to boost data processing, intelligent terminal product manufacturing and e-commerce industries," Li said.

Guizhou has attracted an estimated 8,900 big data companies, including major international players.

The operations of Apple's iCloud services in China were transferred to Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry Development Company from Feb 28.

"Hosting the expo is of great significance to the development of China's big data industry," said Zhang Xiaohang, deputy inspector of the internet bureau in the State Council Information Office's information development office.

Zhang Kailin, a senior official at the National Development and Reform Commission's department of high-tech industry, said great things were evolving in China in relation to big data.

He said that in the future China would finesse its policy system for the big data sector and promote the construction of national pilot applications and schemes.

caoyingying@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/06/2018 page15)