Staff members work at a production base of server manufacturer Inspur in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, June 14, 2018. The company has adopted an innovation-driven strategy in its development, with cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence (AI) as the highlights. (Xinhua/Zhu Zheng)
Shandong, China's industrial province, will have more than 500 AI firms by 2022. Robotics is currently the largest subcategory of Shandong's AI industry.
JINAN, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's industrial province of Shandong will have more than 500 companies in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies by 2022, a report said.
The report was released Tuesday at the 2019 World Artificial Intelligence Integration and Development Conference hosted by the provincial department of industry and information technology in the provincial capital city of Jinan.
People watch an underwater robot during the Qingdao International Ocean Science and Technology Exhibition in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Sept. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Liang Xiaopeng)
According to the report, robotics is currently the largest subcategory of Shandong's AI industry, with more than 120 smart robot manufacturers and related companies generating an annual output of around 20 billion yuan (about 2.8 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018.
The department also posted technical demands in 100 application scenarios related to the integration of AI and manufacturing, transportation, logistics, finance and other industries.
Ji Binchang, head of the department, said Shandong has implemented a three-year action plan to further boost the AI industry. ■
