Artificial intelligence has evolved from a frontier technology into a crucial engine for reshaping industrial logic and economic paradigms. This was the view expressed by Zhang Yuhang, a second-level inspector of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, at a recent financial forum.
Zhang Yuhang stated that 2026 marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan and is a pivotal year for AI's transition from technological breakthroughs to large-scale commercial application. He emphasized Beijing's commitment to an innovation-driven, scenario-led approach to enhance the allocation of AI resources, reshape the economic landscape, and accelerate the construction of a globally influential AI innovation hub.
He noted that from the national implementation of the "AI+" initiative to Beijing's goal of building a global benchmark city for the digital economy, AI has become central to economic transformation. Technologies like large models, intelligent agents, and embodied AI are rapidly moving into practical applications, fostering new business models such as token economies, Model-as-a-Service platforms, and smart devices.
As a national science and technology innovation center, Beijing has established a comprehensive development system covering all AI elements and the entire industrial chain, maintaining a leading industry scale nationwide. In terms of policy, Beijing has introduced measures to support software companies in enhancing AI application services and to empower new industrialization with AI. Financial support, including data element market demonstration rewards and computing power vouchers, is accelerating enterprise innovation and industrial application.
Focus on Infrastructure and Data
Regarding computing infrastructure, Beijing is continuously improving its "super node + industry node" computing power support system. Efforts are focused on boosting intelligent computing supply, building a computing power interconnection platform, and enhancing monitoring and supply-demand matching capabilities.
In the data element domain, Beijing is advancing market-oriented allocation reforms. It has established an AI data training base, which has already aggregated over 200 high-quality datasets, and is piloting a data sandbox mechanism. In 2025, the transaction volume on the Beijing International Big Data Exchange increased by 150% year-on-year, with over 1,000 data ecosystem enterprises gathered.
Expanding Applications and Strong Growth
AI application scenarios are continuously expanding, with widespread adoption in education, culture and tourism, transportation, and urban governance. In 2025, Beijing's core AI industry scale exceeded 450 billion yuan. More than 200 large models have completed the required central filing process, accounting for about 30% of the national total, indicating robust growth for the intelligent economy.
Key Focus Areas for the Future
Looking ahead, Zhang outlined four key areas for Beijing's continued efforts. First, accelerating digital and intelligent technological innovation. This involves enhancing the capabilities of foundational large models in areas like long-range reasoning, code generation, and intent understanding while reducing deployment costs. It also includes exploring multiple technical pathways for world models and advancing the development of intelligent agent protocols, standards, and operating systems.
Second, solidifying the foundations of computing power and data. The goal is to establish a computing power structure anchored in Beijing while sourcing externally, building 10,000-GPU computing clusters, and achieving over 70,000 Petaflops of new intelligent computing capacity within the year. New models like computing-electricity coordination and direct green power supply will be explored. The institutional framework for data property rights, authorized public data operations, and revenue distribution will be improved to create trusted data spaces and a better data circulation service ecosystem.
Third, fostering new forms of the intelligent economy. This includes developing the token economy, establishing token factories, and exploring business models based on quantity, performance, and subscription. It also involves accelerating breakthroughs in key embodied AI technologies and robot product development, enhancing systematic robot evaluation capabilities, and supporting innovation in smart terminals like phones, computers, glasses, and home devices, while improving pilot production service systems.
Fourth, promoting deep integration of industry, city, and people through digital intelligence. This involves further implementing the "AI+" action, opening up key industry application scenarios in healthcare, culture and tourism, finance, and government services. The deployment of large models and intelligent agents will be accelerated, AI solution service providers will be cultivated, and new models like smart elderly care and digital education will be developed to continuously improve public digital literacy and skills.
Zhang Yuhang concluded by stating that Beijing will continue to optimize its business environment, welcoming global AI enterprises, research teams, and investment institutions to develop in the city. He emphasized deepening collaborative partnerships with media platforms to jointly cultivate a prosperous and healthy new ecosystem for the intelligent economy.
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