The revenue of China's software industry exceeded 13 trillion yuan (about 1.78 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2024, contributing 4.4 percent to the nation's GDP, according to information released at the 4th China International Software Development Conference held in Beijing on Thursday.
"Last year, China's software business revenue reached 13.7 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of over 10 percent and a 44.2 percent growth compared to the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period," said Xie Shaofeng, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
Data from the MIIT also revealed a record high of over 2.8 million software copyright registrations, up 13 percent year-on-year.
In the first two months of this year, the revenue of information technology services maitained double-digit growth, reaching over 1.26 trillion yuan. Cloud computing and big data services generated 237.6 billion yuan in revenue, an 8.8 percent year-on-year increase.
Furthermore, the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to further propel the industry's growth. By enhancing software development efficiency and quality while lowering technical barriers, AI is poised to transform the sector.
"An intelligent complex will integrate platform data, computing power, case studies, and tools to provide users with ready-made solutions," said Chen Baoguo, executive deputy secretary-general of the China Software Industry Association.
Chen predicts that AI will contribute to over 20 percent of annual growth in the software market over the next five years, driving the industry's intelligent upgrade and creating new growth opportunities.
China's software industry achieves robust growth last year
The Chinese-built Caculo-Cabaca Hydropower Station has begun supplying electricity to rural communities in Angola's north-central province of Cuanza Norte.
A launch ceremony for the project's rural power supply was recently held in a local residential community of Cambambe Municipality in Cuanza Norte.
The ceremony was attended by Governor of Cuanza Norte Province Joao Diogo Gaspar, Mayor of Cambambe Municipality Maria Mafuta Difuma Bafutidy, and Chinese representatives of the Caculo-Cabaca plant project.
According to the China Gezhouba Group Company Limited (CGGC), the contractor for the project, the hydroelectric plant is located in the middle section of the Cuanza River, the longest river in Angola. Designed to have an installed capacity of 2,172 megawatts, it is projected to generate an average of over 8,500 gigawatt-hours of electricity a year, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 7.2 million tons annually. Additionally, the dam serves other functions such as water flow regulation and flood prevention.
The station, on which construction began in August 2017, is a major energy infrastructure project undertaken by Chinese-funded enterprises in Africa and an important achievement of energy cooperation between China and Angola under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
It is scheduled to begin commercial operations and connect its first generator to Angola's power grid in October. Once fully completed, it will be the largest hydroelectric infrastructure in Angola and the third largest in Africa.
Addressing the launch ceremony, Gaspar called the Caculo-Cabaca a world-class project which will bring not only clean electricity to the Angolan people, but also drive development across various sectors of the country and provide a strong guarantee for its public energy security.
Chinese-built hydropower station begins power supply to Angolan villages
