Beijing now home to half of China-developed AI models as more tech talent and investments head to the nation’s capital

The Chinese capital accounts for 40 of around 80 large language models that have been launched in the country

The municipal government of Beijing is offering about US$5.5 million in subsidies for computing resources used to train AI models and applications

Reading Time:2 minutes

Beijing’s commitment to artificial intelligence innovation reflects China’s large bet on the technology as a major catalyst to raise the efficiency of traditional industries and help in the country’s economic recovery. Image: Shutterstock

Published: 8:00am, 12 Jul 2023

Beijing is now home to half of China-developed large language models (LLMs) – representing the technology used to train intelligent chatbots like ChatGPT – as more companies in the country’s second-largest city after Shanghai launch a range of generative artificial intelligence (AI) services to market, according to local authorities.

The Chinese capital, which hosts more than one-third of the country’s “core AI companies”, accounted for 40 of around 80 LLMs that have already been launched, said Jiang Guangzhi, director at Beijing’s Bureau of Economy and Information Technology.

Jiang said Beijing is offering about 40 million yuan (US$5.5 million) in subsidies for computing resources used to train AI models and applications, while also pledging to promote AI models by implementing LLM applications across a range of industrial scenarios on a quarterly basis, according to a report on Tuesday by local news outlet Kechuangban Daily.

“Beijing leads Chinese cities [in LLM development] because of the city’s significant advantages in computing power, data sets, use case scenarios, investment and talent,” Jiang was quoted by Kechuangban Daily as saying. “We hope to further focus our resources on AI innovation and align this with the needs of the economy and society.”

Code for an artificial intelligence large language model that could intelligently answer questions is seen on a computer screen. Photo: Shutterstock

LLMs are deep-learning AI algorithms that can recognise, summarise, translate, predict and generate content using very large data sets.

Generative AI refers to the algorithms, such as those that power ChatGPT and similar services, that can be used to create new content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations and videos.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x