Gansu Province’s Qingyang city has been making impressive strides in developing its digital economy, recently hitting significant milestones in business engagement and infrastructure. Recently, I spoke with various officials and stakeholders to understand how the city is positioning itself as a hub for digital economy initiatives.
“Since we began connecting with digital economy enterprises, we’ve reached out to 3,170 companies and signed contracts with 800,” shared a local official. “Qingyang has even established 239 subsidiaries since our initiatives kicked off. We’ve also built and operationalized the equivalent of 20,000 standard racks, increasing our computing power significantly from 5,000 PetaFLOPS at the end of last year to 21,000 PetaFLOPS today.”
These numbers reflect Qingyang’s commitment to fostering a favorable business environment that accelerates digital investment. From January to August 2024, local enterprises in the digital economy achieved substantial revenue, with 27 businesses generating a total of 2.059 billion yuan.
Since the establishment of the “East Data West Calculation” industry alliance and the arrival of leading enterprises like Kingsoft Cloud in 2022, Qingyang has focused on cultivating a robust organizational framework, a supportive governmental atmosphere, and competitive operational costs to ensure companies feel welcomed. As one local engineer, Wang Linwei, explained, “The construction of our smart carbon-neutral big data industrial park progressed remarkably fast—three buildings were capped, and the A1 data building was lit and operational, alongside the energized substation—all within just 16 months.”
The city’s comprehensive support framework, dubbed the “40+61+28” policy system, encompasses various areas including tax reductions, technology research funding, talent support, land use, financial backing, and regulatory services, aiming to facilitate the hub’s development. Notably, the introduction of a computing voucher policy, which allocates 100 million yuan annually to support AI companies in model training and technology research, is a prime example of Qingyang’s innovative approach to attracting businesses.
Furthermore, Qingyang is committed to enhancing the recruitment capabilities of its officials by pushing a digital literacy agenda and emphasizing an approachable, team-oriented service model. “We leverage both online and offline strategies to build trust and foster deeper cooperation with potential partners,” a city representative noted. This includes a focus on the unique needs of businesses and providing tailored support throughout their establishment process.
“Every step of the way, the city’s Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau assigned dedicated personnel to assist us with requirements regarding land, documentation, and process navigation,” said Liu Bo, regional director of TIER Technology in Qingyang.
The financial department is also streamlining approval processes to ensure projects are set up swiftly. “By focusing on minimizing review times and maximizing service quality, Qingyang truly seeks to meet the needs of businesses. Understanding and addressing business concerns is foundational to our approach,” said Wang Yao, the deputy secretary of the Financial Bureau’s Party Committee.
These concerted efforts are helping Qingyang solidify its standing in the digital economy sector, promising a bright future for both the local government and its business community.
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