The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has recently issued a notice regarding the launch of a special initiative to cultivate artificial intelligence application service providers. This document serves as an official interpretation to facilitate a precise understanding of the initiative's core points and to ensure its effective implementation across relevant sectors.
What policy context drives this initiative?
The Party Central Committee and the State Council place high importance on AI development and its application. The "15th Five-Year Plan" outlines the need to deepen and expand the "AI+" approach across various sectors. In line with this national strategy, the State Council's guidance on deeply implementing the "AI+" action explicitly calls for nurturing AI application service providers and building a comprehensive service chain. These providers are defined as enterprises or institutions that address users' intelligent transformation needs by offering a range of services, from solution consulting and design to deployment, operations management, and security governance. While China has seen a growing number of such providers, the sector grapples with challenges including unclear resource information, inconsistent delivery quality, incomplete commercial loops, and a service ecosystem that is not yet robust. To tackle these issues and align AI industry supply with real-world application demand, the Ministry is executing this initiative to systematically establish a service provider resource pool, enhance service capabilities, open up application pathways, and bolster the overall ecosystem, thereby supporting the deep implementation of the "AI+" strategy.
How will the initiative be implemented?
The initiative is guided by principles of expanding scale and enhancing quality, fostering a well-structured tiered system, encouraging innovation, and maintaining an application-focused approach. Its primary objective is to accelerate the development of a multi-tiered and collaborative AI application service ecosystem. All provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government, along with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, are expected to participate. These regions will tailor their efforts based on local AI industry maturity and application needs, focusing on tasks like enriching the service provider resource pool, improving service supply quality, innovating service models, and strengthening the ecosystem. The anticipated outcomes include the creation of regional and national service provider resource pools, the development of skilled and influential providers, the formation of collaborative service groups, the launch of practical and agile AI products and services, and the training of versatile professionals proficient in business, AI models, security, and project delivery.
What are the primary targets of the initiative?
The initiative sets clear goals for service provider development. By the end of 2026, the national resource pool should list over 2,000 service providers, forming a multi-tiered structure with significantly enhanced capabilities for handling complex scenarios. By the end of 2027, this number should grow to at least 3,000, helping to establish a fully integrated and comprehensive AI application service ecosystem. Provinces hosting a national pilot zone for AI industrial innovation and application are required to have a minimum of 100 providers within their regional resource pool by the end of 2027.
What key tasks are outlined in the initiative?
The initiative systematically addresses the pain points faced by providers through four primary tasks. The first task, "Taking Stock," involves a nationwide survey of providers, the establishment of detailed provider records, and compiling this information into the national resource pool. The second task, "Enhancing Capabilities," focuses on improving service supply by forming AI application service groups, strengthening collaboration along the supply chain, leveraging innovation platforms to boost technological capabilities, and improving providers' management of security, ethics, and compliance. The third task, "Promoting Closed Loops," aims to facilitate large-scale application by encouraging standardized service offerings and replicable solutions, organizing supply-demand matchmaking events, intensifying promotional efforts, broadening scenario openness, increasing procurement, and improving overseas service systems to support international expansion. The fourth task, "Bolstering the Ecosystem," concentrates on support measures, such as utilizing tools like "computing power vouchers" to secure resource supplies, encouraging the joint establishment of training bases, and developing Field Deployment Engineers (FDE) to build a robust talent pool.
Which service types are prioritized?
The initiative highlights five key service categories. First, consulting and planning services, which include strategic business consulting for AI, industry analysis, management system development, and project implementation design. Second, delivery and implementation services, covering platform tool utilization, customized application development, and system integration. Third, operations and management services, which involve terminal equipment maintenance, system monitoring and repair, software updates, and product iteration. Fourth, security and governance services, including security protection, risk warning, and security hardening. Fifth, supporting services, such as AI-related educational training and testing and evaluation.
Will supporting standards be introduced?
The Ministry is accelerating the development of national and industry standards for AI application service providers. This work is being organized through specific technical committees, including the National Information Technology Standardization Technical Committee's AI sub-committee and the Ministry's own AI standardization technical committee. Standards under development cover general requirements for service providers, maturity assessment models, and FDE capability grading. Providers can use these standards to enhance their own service capabilities, while local governments, industry associations, and evaluation bodies can reference them to standardize their practices, ensuring the effective implementation of the initiative.
What safeguard measures are in place?
The Ministry will provide overall guidance and promptly address any major issues or key matters that arise during implementation. Regions demonstrating successful implementation will receive preferential support in relevant policies and projects, with their achievements being promoted and applied more widely. An online platform for the AI application service provider resource pool is planned to facilitate information sharing and utilization. Local industrial and information technology authorities are encouraged to strengthen policy support and provide corresponding resources to service providers.