Artificial intelligence, a key technology for driving digital transformation, is playing an increasingly vital role in accelerating China's push for industrial upgrading and promoting the in-depth integration of the digital economy and real economy.

China has been committed to becoming the world's leading AI superpower, integrating and guiding various resources to promote the growth and development of the AI field. These efforts include incentivizing talent, fostering R&D ecosystems, creating capital, building high-tech supply chains, and encouraging foreign investment in specific industries.

By the end of 2021, China had over 1,600 AI companies, making it the second-largest market globally, second only to the United States. According to statistics, China produces over 1.4 million graduates in engineering and related fields every year, with a significant number of them being computer science talents. This abundance of engineering talent creates a dividend, with the number being six to eight times higher than that of the United States.

A Stanford University report shows that in 2021, the nation filed more than half the world's AI patent applications and continued to lead globally with the number of AI journals, conference papers and related publications.

Based on evaluations of the development climate, innovation competence, basic supporting facilities, capital input and industrialization strengths, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong province were in the lead group, while Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Sichuan and Hunan provinces formed the group of challengers. Other regions fell into followers and niche regions.