The software industry in northwest China's Shaanxi Province reported seven billion yuan (US$843 million) in business turnover in 2002, accounting for 6.36 percent of the country's total.

The total amount included 2.48 billion yuan (US$298 million) from sales of software products and 4.52 billion yuan (US$545 million) from software services.

Shaanxi now has 470 software companies, which have developed more than 500 products, occupying more than 75 percent of software markets in northwest China.

Software products developed by Shaanxi-based companies are also sold well in the northeast, northern and southeast regions of the country.

Shaanxi has 25 integrated circuit (IC) design enterprises, 13 of which offer products for exports, and 10 IC research institutions, and two IC testing and analyzing centers.

In 2002, the semiconductor industry in Shaanxi registered one billion yuan (US$120 million) in output value, accounting for five percent of the nation's total.

(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2003)