China to boost its ‘national team’ to meet goal of global AI leadership by 2030

The Chinese government is recruiting private companies and research institutions with “core technologies” to lead key projects in the development of next generation artificial intelligence technologies as part of its goal to close the AI tech gap with the US by 2030.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has named 17 key areas as priorities for AI development and called on Chinese tech companies and research institutions to participate in the so-called national team to achieve technological breakthroughs.

By “selecting the best from the best”, the goal is to “break the bottleneck of AI technologies, build industrial leaders and cultivate main forces in innovation”, according to a notice published on the official ministry website on Wednesday.

The move to boost China’s national AI team in tackling key projects, from intelligent vehicles and intelligent service robots to neural network chips, comes amid trade tensions with the US that are fuelled by the race for global technology supremacy.

China’s AI ambitions play a key role in its "Made in China 2025" programme designed to move the country’s manufacturing industries – from robotics and aerospace to new materials and new energy vehicles – up the value chain, although Beijing’s top down approach has unnerved the West which considers it state intervention and unfair play.