Nansha: sample shows rise of AI

A report evaluating China’s urban artificial intelligence innovation ability was recently released by the Guangdong Maritime Silk Research Institute. Thirty-seven cities and regions in the country were examined by the appraisal.

Guangzhou’s Nansha district, deemed a successful case, takes the lead in China.

The rating was assisted by Clarivate Analytics, a global information-led company. Its data analysis was based on three areas: quantity, quality and atmosphere of innovation for the AI industry.

The report shows that the value of China’s AI market reached 23.7 billion yuan ($3.45 billion) in 2017. The next year, China’s global share in AI research papers increased to a world-leading 27.68 percent.

Specifically, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have a strong, magnetic attraction for enterprises and start-ups, while Hong Kong and Macao attach great importance to scientific research.

Guangzhou is becoming an AI hub, with 339 companies registered there in 2018, especially in the Nansha district, whose rise is of great research value.

The district has now gathered more than 180 AI companies, including CloudWalk, iFLYTEK, Pony.ai, Dorabot, and DMAI, with their business scope covering chips, basic software algorithms, biometric recognition, natural language processing, new types of human-computer interaction and other fields.

Many scholars indicate that even though there are currently many shortcomings in experience and efficiency in practical use, it is still essential to promote the implementation of application scenarios.

In fact, in a development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area issued in early 2019, the deep integration of the internet, big data, AI and the real economy was proposed.

The local government uses large amounts of funds and beneficial policies to attract companies and elites.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), which is in construction in Nansha, will set up AI and data science majors.

The university plans to cultivate talents in cross-disciplinary fields such as robotics, automatic systems and biomedicine.

Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as forerunners of AI innovation and the core cities in the Bay Area, may lead the future development trends of the AI industry, according to the report.