SCIO press conference on development of industry and information technology in H1 2026

CNR:

With the accelerated innovation and upgrading in digital technologies, the software industry and the development of the open-source ecosystem are receiving increasing attention. How did the software and information technology services industry perform in the first half of the year? And what are the next steps in fostering the open-source ecosystem? Thank you.

Wang Weiming:

Thank you for your questions. I would like to invite Ms. Tao Qing to answer them.

Tao Qing:

Thank you for your questions. Software serves as the core of the next-generation information technology, an important foundation for the development of the digital economy, and a key pillar supporting the building of a manufacturing powerhouse, a cyber powerhouse and a "Digital China." The MIIT has resolutely acted on the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, fully carried out the national software development strategy, continuously refined the policy system, optimized the development environment, and propelled the high-quality development of the software industry to new heights. From January to May, China's software business revenue exceeded 6.2 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.3%, maintaining a steady growth trend.

Since the beginning of this year, China's software industry has mainly exhibited the following development characteristics:

First, basic software has been gaining momentum at a faster pace. Breakthroughs have been made in basic software such as operating systems and databases, resulting in a number of innovative achievements. The open-source HarmonyOS fully covers terminal devices such as cellphones, computers, automobiles and home appliances, with a cumulative total of over 1.35 billion devices in the ecosystem. In addition, over 100 OpenHarmony-based industry distributions, such as "Dianhong" and "YiHong," have been launched.

Second, industrial software has been widely adopted. Industrial software now covers key industries with a sound product system, accelerating deployment and application in key areas, and undergoing continuous iteration to inject strong momentum into the digital transformation of various sectors. As of the end of June, the penetration rate of digital R&D and design tools in major industrial enterprises reached 86.3%, and the numerical control rate of key production processes reached 69.5%.

Third, artificial intelligence (AI) is empowering all sectors. Software companies have been guided to seize the opportunities for industrial transformation brought around by AI. This has led to the acceleration and use of large code models, intelligent programming tools, and other technologies to improve R&D and production efficiency. This has resulted in richer product functions, more natural interactive experiences, and more efficient content creation. Innovative applications such as intelligent testing and smart operation and maintenance have been implemented at an accelerated pace.

Fourth, the open-source ecosystem is growing rapidly. The national open-source foundation has admitted more than 50 projects into its incubation pipeline. The national-level AI open-source community has gathered more than 11 million users and hosted more than 70,000 models, accelerating the construction of full-stack open-source solutions covering basic software, large models and applications. China's open-source AI model has been downloaded more than 10 billion times globally.

Next, in accordance with national software development strategy, we will continue to bolster the supply of key software products and services, expediate the rollout of the "AI + Software" action plan, and promote the intelligent transformation of software development, the intelligent upgrading of software products and services, and the cultivation of new AI agent-based software business models. We will continue to enhance the capabilities of open-source infrastructure in areas such as project incubation, supply chain security governance, exploration of emerging scenarios, and overseas expansion. It will accelerate the growth of the national-level AI open-source community into an innovation hub for emerging technologies and an important scenario for the application of software and hardware products. Thank you.

Jia Huili:

Now for the final question.