China's AI-plus initiative advances manufacturing transformation, consumption quality in first three quarters

China's "artificial intelligence (AI) Plus" initiative helped advance the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing sector and promote the upgrading and improvement of consumption quality in the first three quarters of this year, said the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday.

AI-powered new growth drivers continued to expand and strengthen, leading high-quality manufacturing industrial development. In the first three quarters, digital product manufacturing contributed over one third to the growth of value-added of industrial enterprises above the designated size, with AI adoption among these firms rising steadily.

AI effectively boosted the development of modern service industry. In the first three quarters, the value-added output of information transmission, software and IT service sectors increased 10.4 percent.

AI also reshaped consumption and made its way into daily routines. Over the same period, sales of wearable smart devices surged more than 70 percent year on year among businesses above the designated size, while sales at unmanned stores grew over 25 percent.

The expansion of AI applications also spurred sustained investment across industrial chains.

NBS data showed that in the first three quarters, investment in electronic circuit manufacturing surged 58.7 percent year on year, while integrated circuit manufacturing investment rose 14.2 percent.

"Leveraging its comprehensive industrial supply chain, China has rapidly rolled out AI software and hardware products tailored to various scenarios, precisely meeting the demands of overseas markets. In the first three quarters, China's exports of products such as electronic components and wires and cables grew by 70 percent and 25.3 percent, respectively," Wang Guanhua, spokeswoman of the NBS and deputy director general of the Department of Comprehensive Statistics of the NBS, said at a press conference in Beijing on Monday.

China's AI-plus initiative advances manufacturing transformation, consumption quality in first three quarters

China's AI-plus initiative advances manufacturing transformation, consumption quality in first three quarters

Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang attended the inauguration ceremony of China National Data Group Co., Ltd., a new state-owned enterprise (SOE) directly administered by the central government, in Xiongan New Area, north China's Hebei Province, on Tuesday.

Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the establishment of the enterprise is of great significance for seizing opportunities in artificial intelligence, accelerating the building of Digital China, and fostering new competitive advantages for the country.

Headquartered in Xiongan New Area, the newly established enterprise is tasked with specializing in the development and utilization of data resources.

It is positioned as a national team for data services, a leader in data infrastructure connectivity and a strategic force for national data sci-tech innovation.

Ding urged the enterprise to improve data-related services, accelerate the development of data infrastructure, step up efforts to achieve breakthroughs in key and core technologies, and play a strategic, leading and supporting role in the data sector.

He also called on relevant government departments to step up support, local authorities to ensure the necessary resources, and related enterprises to strengthen cooperation to build a concerted effort to promote the development of the data industry.

Ding also inspected Xiongan New Area. During the inspection tour, he stressed the need to firmly adhere to the area's functional positioning and advance the relocation of Beijing's non-capital functions to Xiongan more effectively and in an orderly manner. He also called for stronger policy support and services to take the high-quality development of the area to a new level.

Chinese vice premier attends inauguration of state-owned enterprise focused on data