LOCATED in Southwest China, Guizhou Province has long been considered a less-developed area due to its remoteness and isolation. However, it has been on a fast lane to build itself into China’s big data valley since it hosted the first China International Big Data Industry Expo in 2015.

In merely four years, the expo has become an important annual event in the big data industry with a focus on the latest trends and win-win cooperation.

The 2019 China International Big Data Industry Expo (Big Data Expo) kicks off Sunday in Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou Province. Focusing on “innovative development and digital future,” the expo features high-end dialogues, forums, contests, exhibitions and other colorful events, which spotlight the latest technical innovations and provide an international platform for the presentation of high-tech companies.

“I have been familiar with Guizhou for quite a while. The development of big data as an industry here is now part and parcel of the province’s makeup,” said Professor Reiner Dudziak at the Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany, who is also a judge at the German division of the 2019 China International Big Data Fusion Innovation and Artificial Intelligence Global Competition, in an interview with Huanqiu.com, an official media partner of the Big Data Expo.

The 2019 Big Data Expo is expected to witness two breakthroughs: the introduction of guest country of honor mechanism and the Shubo (the Chinese name of “Big Data Expo”) Corridor.

The guest country of honor will hold thematic activities to showcase its achievements in big data development and promote cooperation in the big data industry.

Shubo Corridor, running through Yunyan District, Guanshanhu District and Baiyun District of Guiyang, covers a total area of 74.56 square kilometers. The corridor will be equipped with a digital water curtain, screens and inductive floor tiles to showcase famous people and companies in the big data industry.

Besides nine high-level dialogues, 53 forums and the release of 49 cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements, this year’s expo for the first time invited Morocco as host country and held a high-level dialogue on big data and global poverty reduction, as well as organized artificial intelligence and automatic driving competition.

The event has attracted officials, top business executives and renowned experts to discuss the hottest topics in big data, including 5G, data security, digital economy, industrial Internet, blockchain and AI.

Attending the expo are 156 international companies from 59 countries including Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Singapore, Israel, and Canada. Exhibitors include leading companies in Internet and telecommunications, such as Google, Dell, Pivotal, Tencent and Alibaba, as well as Seagate, Huawei and ZTE. (SD-Agencies)