Beijing: China's data industry continued to expand rapidly in 2025, supporting the development of the fast-growing artificial intelligence (AI) sector, according to official data.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the scale of China's data industry reached 6.78 trillion yuan (about 1 trillion US dollars) in 2025, up 15.7% year on year, as revealed at the opening of the 2026 China International Big Data Industry Expo on Friday.
Data-related software products, including AI application software, and data resource products, such as token services, contributed to a combined output value of 4.99 trillion yuan, making up 73.6% of the industry's total.
As of this month, more than 126,000 high-quality datasets had been built nationwide, with a total volume surpassing 1,815 petabytes, marking an increase of over 89% since March.
"AI development is heavily driven by data," stated Liu Liehong, head of China's National Data Bureau. "Wherever AI advances, we push forward the construction and application of high-quality datasets."
By late July 2026, Guizhou housed 50 key data centres, with 98.4% of this capacity dedicated specifically to AI-related computing.
In 2019, China became the world's first country to formally recognize data as a factor of production, followed by the establishment of the National Data Bureau in 2023.
Source: Emirates News Agency