Driven by the nearby Gui'an New District, Guiyang aspires to become a center for big data known around the globe, said Chen Gang, Party secretary of Guiyang.
The city government projects the total output value of its big data industry will hit 54 billion yuan ($8.8 billion) by 2016, accounting for 30 percent of Guiyang's information industry output value and one-fourth of the city's GDP.
The city expects to attract 30 leading enterprises, more than five listed companies and 200 firms. It also plans to draw 5,000 world-class research and development personnel by then.
"Guiyang is touted as the top among all the other provincial capitals in China in terms of its ecological environment. The negative oxygen ions there help promote people's creativity," said Wu Yimin, CEO of Infobird Software Co Ltd.
Infobird, one of China's cloud computing application service providers, established its new headquarters in Guiyang in September last year. Wu said he sees the city's potential in the emerging industry because of the advantages that make it similar to India's high-tech hub Bangalore.
The average temperature of Guiyang ranges around 15 C, and it is less than 24 C, even in summer. Also, Guiyang has a stable geological structure, where extreme weather conditions like earthquake and typhoon seldom occur.
"All the conditions provide a safe environment for network and information equipment, and an attractive living place for professionals," said Chen.
Last September, the Guiyang city government signed an agreement with Beijing's Zhongguancun District - the Chinese equivalent of Silicon Valley - to build the Zhongguancun Guiyang Science Park, which will house 106 projects with combined investments totaling 46.5 billion yuan.
Gui'an New District, one of the youngest new districts in China at the State level, is distinguished by a set of attractive policies on finance and taxation, land, investment, talent and science to develop the big data industry. The nation's top three telecom giants - China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile - are building cloud computing facilities in the Gui'an New District, with a cumulative investment thus far exceeding 15 billion yuan, and installing more than 100,000 equipment cabinets and 2 million servers.
In July last year, the leading Taiwan-based IT firm Foxconn decided to locate its fourth industrial park on the mainland in Gui'an New District. It is constructing pilot plants to improve Guiyang's electronic information industry and the support capability for big data development.
The Guizhou provincial government has set up investment funds for big data that provide equity investments for small and medium-sized enterprises settled in the district. Moreover, outstanding entrepreneurial professionals who come to the district will each receive a support fund of 5 million yuan.
Under the support of distinctive policies, the new districts plans will take shape by 2015 and will be optimized by 2020. The district is aiming to become an international ecological city with unique features and livability.
yangjun@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 03/01/2014 page8)
