In early September 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a notice on cultivating artificial intelligence application service providers, a special action aligned with the national 'AI+' strategy to bridge the gap between technology supply and industry demand.
The plan sets clear milestones: by the end of 2026, the national service-provider resource pool should exceed 2,000 entities forming a tiered梯队; by the end of 2027, no fewer than 3,000, supporting a full-chain AI application service ecosystem. Provinces with national AI innovation application pilot zones should each host at least 100 pooled providers by end-2027.
Four core tasks include building a unified national resource pool, raising industry service supply, driving scaled application of standardized 'small, fast, light, precise' AI products, and strengthening support through tools such as 'compute vouchers' and front-line deployment engineers. Leveraging BRICS and China-ASEAN mechanisms, the action also promotes quality AI application projects going global.
Image: Efficiency improvement of AI-related computer chips. Source: Wikimedia Commons (CC0).
