The latest economic data from 31 provinces depicts a panoramic view of the development of local AI industries: the demand for AI terminal applications has greatly driven the growth of high-tech manufacturing, and many regions have achieved double-digit growth in related industries such as integrated circuits and industrial robots in the first half of the year; From a regional perspective, the gradient development pattern of the artificial intelligence industry is prominent - Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong, which are in the "first echelon", are making efforts throughout the entire chain, while Anhui, Hubei, and other regions are deeply cultivating AI chips and optoelectronics sub sectors. Guizhou and other regions have become important landing points for intelligent computing centers relying on advantages such as clean energy.
Since the beginning of this year, AI has become an important engine for economic growth. The explosion of AI can be seen from the growth rate of intelligent computing power: as of the end of June 2026, the scale of intelligent computing power in China reached 2185 EFLOPS (billions of floating point operations per second), a year-on-year increase of 177%; Compared to the end of March, it has also increased by 16%.
From the perspective of industrial chain transmission, the explosive demand for AI terminal applications has directly driven the release of upstream hardware production capacity in various regions. In the first half of the year, most of the integrated circuit production in 31 provinces achieved positive growth, with particularly outstanding indicators in Guangdong, Hubei and other places, with growth rates reaching 29.7% and 1.4 times respectively.
At the same time, the deep integration of AI and manufacturing has spurred the large-scale application of intelligent equipment. The production of industrial robots in Guangdong, Jiangsu, Sichuan and other places has achieved double-digit growth, and new tracks such as embodied intelligence and human-machine collaboration are flourishing.
The driving effect of the AI wave on emerging industries such as integrated circuits and industrial robots in various regions is becoming increasingly significant, and AI is accelerating its transformation from a technological concept to a tangible increase in productivity. ”Xiao Hongwei, Director of the Policy Simulation Laboratory of the Economic Forecasting Department of the National Information Center of the National Development and Reform Commission, said.
From a regional perspective, each province adapts to local conditions and showcases its strengths, and the artificial intelligence industry has gradually formed a hierarchical, complementary, and collaborative development pattern.
In Xiao Hongwei's view, several eastern coastal provinces have taken the lead in building a native industrial ecosystem by leveraging their technological, talent, and industrial chain advantages, and continue to make efforts in the entire chain of integrated circuit manufacturing and industrial robots. Among them, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and other places are at the forefront of China's artificial intelligence development.
According to data, as of July 23, Beijing has completed the registration of 259 large-scale models and 195 artificial intelligence products, covering multiple categories such as general large-scale models, industry vertical models, and mobile phone side models. By 2025, the scale of Beijing's core artificial intelligence industry will reach 450 billion yuan, accounting for about 40% of the country's total.
As of the end of June this year, 169 large models in Shanghai have been registered. The industrial scale of 394 large-scale artificial intelligence enterprises in the city will exceed 637 billion yuan by 2025. The scale of Guangdong's core artificial intelligence industry will exceed 300 billion yuan by 2025. The "15th Five Year Plan" of the three regions coincidentally anchored the "global competitiveness" of artificial intelligence, striving to comprehensively lead in technology, industrial ecology, and application scenarios.
More regions are based on their own resource endowments to deeply cultivate segmented tracks and embark on a path of differentiation. Among them, Anhui has accelerated its layout in the field of AI chips and continuously made breakthroughs. As the first 12 inch wafer foundry enterprise in Anhui Province, Jinghe Integration landed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in July, achieving dual listing of "A+H". Its fourth phase project, which was invested 35.5 billion yuan, is expected to start production in the fourth quarter. Changxin Technology, an integrated memory manufacturing company that has been honing its skills for ten years in Hefei, also went public at the end of July. As of press time, its market value has exceeded 3.6 trillion yuan, making it the highest valued A-share enterprise.
Hubei relies on the advantages of the optoelectronics industry, seizes the demand for AI computing power, and significantly improves the efficiency of the optoelectronics information industry. With Wuhan's "China Optics Valley" as the core, it has formed a globally leading "optical core screen end network" full industry chain ecology, with fiber optic cable production accounting for a quarter of the world's total. In May 2026, Changjiang Storage launched IPO guidance, and this super unicorn, the leader of the "Optics Valley Seven Stars", is about to land on the capital market.
Henan is transforming from the "heart of railways" to a "hub of computing power". Recently, China's first national 100000 card AI super cluster was put into operation in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, and simultaneously connected to the national super computing Internet.
In addition, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Guizhou and other places have also become important landing points for intelligent computing centers relying on advantages such as clean energy.