Developing the big data industry is a wise choice and the best path for the economic development in Guizhou province, said Qin Rupei, member of the Standing Committee of the Guizhou CPC Provincial Committee.

The national government is investing heavily in the emerging technology-driven sector, given its various applications such as crime prevention, epidemic studies, research evaluation, business analysis, legal citation, and traffic management.

While Guizhou in Southwest China is one of the lowest-ranked provinces in terms of gross domestic product - in absolute terms and per capita - the local government hopes one day that Guiyang, its capital, could be China's answer to India's high-tech hub Bangalore.

Since its establishment in Guiyang last September, Zhongguancun Science Park has successfully linked Guizhou and Beijing in the big data industry with 106 new contracts worth 17.4 billion yuan ($2.86 billion).

The achievements could not be possible without Guizhou's advantages in ecological environment and geographic location.

"The successful hosting of the Guiyang Eco Forum Global Annual Conference, the establishment of the Guiyang Comprehensive Bonded Area and the opening of the Guian New District have created a solid foundation for high-tech industry development in Guizhou," Qin added.

At first glance, Guizhou may not seem to be a fit for big data, said Chen Gang, Party secretary of Guiyang, but the province actually has the potential to become the largest big data and cloud-computing base in the country.

The temperate climate, sufficient power supply and well-developed transportation networks will help the city attract data centers and cloud computing projects, Chen said.

"Guiyang edges out other Chinese cities when attracting IT projects because of these advantages. That's an opportunity for us to boost high-tech industries," Chen added.

Chen said Guiyang has five specific advantages to attract the big data industry - favorable climate conditions, strong infrastructure guarantees, supportive industrial bases, platforms for industrial resources import and preferential policies.

The good air quality, cool weather conditions and stable geological structures can provide a top security environment for information equipment.

Also, as Guizhou province is the starting point of the West-East Power Transmission project, it means that Guizhou has energy advantages in electric power, hydrological power and thermal power. Guiyang is also a transportation hub in West China.

Chen added, talking about the electronic information industry, Guiyang has solid foundations dating back to the 1950s to 1960s. The electronics industry has become a pillar industry in Guiyang. Recently, the settlement of Foxconn, China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom data centers in Guiyang has driven supporting industry development and attracted talents.

Moreover, Zhongguancun Science Park in Beijing offers a quality platform for the introduction of advanced technology and resources. The Guiyang government has implemented a series of policies to support the big data industry.

"Developing the big data industry in Guiyang is not only possible but promising," Chen said.

Contact the writers at yangjun@chinadialy.com.cn and lijun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/01/2014 page8)