On the afternoon of February 12, the Guiyang municipal government and 12 industry alliances from Beijing held a symposium at the Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The parties pledged to promote the Promotion Conference for Guizhou - Beijing Big Data Industry Development and officially sent invitations to the 12 industry alliances.

Zhao Jihong, deputy director of the Beijing Scientific Association; Tang Jian, head of the high-tech department of the Beijing Scientific Association; Gao Weidong, deputy mayor of Guiyang; Xu Hao, director of the administrative commission of the High-Tech Industrial Development Zone; and representatives from the 12 industry alliances, including China SSL Alliances, TDIA, IGRS, Changfeng Alliances and AVS alliances, attended the symposium.

The Promotion Conference for Guizhou - Beijing Big Data Industry Development will be held at the multi-function hall of an exhibition center located in Zhongguancun Science Park on March 1. A total of 300 guests, including government officials from relevant departments or commissions, leaders from domestic and international well-known enterprises, major financial institutions, well-known universities, academicians and representatives of the 12 industry alliances, will be invited to attend the conference.

A project signing ceremony will be held at the conference as well, which may involve a total contract amount over 100 billion yuan ($16.48 billion).

According to Zhao, Beijing and Guiyang signed a science and technology cooperation agreement in September of last year. The promotion conference this March is aimed at accelerating the development of Guizhou's big data industry, while attracting industry alliances and companies to settle in Guizhou.

During the symposium, Gao introduced the forthcoming promotion conference and briefed Guizhou's advantages for developing the big data industry.

According to him, Guizhou has many advantages, including cutting-edge science and technology innovation.

First, Guizhou has policy advantages, especially after the release of the No 2 Document of the State Council in 2012, which has leveraged the development of Guizhou as a national strategy and entrusted the province with preferential policy in public finance, investment, finance, land and human resources.

Second, Guizhou has environmental advantages. Guiyang, as the principal capital of Guizhou, boasts an annual average temperature of 15 C. As a result, Guiyang is considered a livable city and has won the honor of national ecological civilization model city. In addition, Guiyang is suitable for construction of data centers because the city is located far away from seismic belts and has a stable geological structure. Guizhou is the best choice, especially according to requirements for constructing data backup centers where information is stored and protected by two sites and three centers.

Third, Guizhou has industrial advantages. The data centers of three big carriers have settled in Guiyang, as the city has become increasingly high-end and green, promoting Guizhou as one of the biggest data distribution zones and a platform offering opportunities for investment in domestic and international enterprises and the big data industry.

Fourth, Guizhou enjoys adequate resource security. Guizhou, as the source of power transmission from west to east, has ample hydroelectric resources that support the big data industry with high power consumption. Meanwhile, the average industrial electricity price in Guizhou is significantly lower than other cities in China, which contributes to competitive cost. In addition, the construction of highways and the problem of logistics and cost can be solved as well.

Zhang Weidong presented the 12 enterprise units with invitations from the main leaders of the provincial Party committee and provincial government. Zhang hoped that the leaders from the Beijing Science and Technology Commission and 12 enterprise units can participate in the promotion and support the signing of the big data industry development contract. Guizhou will hold an annual summit for the national big data industry starting in 2015 to discuss the relationship between the big data industry, the upgrade and development of entire national industries, and valuable ideas for the industries, Zhang said.

Wu Ling, secretary-general, supported the development of the big data industry. Wu introduced the links between big data and the 12 Beijing industrial alliances with the advantages of the State Key Laboratories, application of third-generation semiconductor materials, and research and development projects.