A provincial news conference was held on Nov 13 in Central China's Hubei province, introducing Hubei's artificial intelligence (AI) industrial chain to the public.

The province is committed to elevating the industry's scale to over 150 billion yuan ($20.91 billion), with the overarching goal of positioning its overall AI technology development among China's first echelon by 2025.

As part of the recently unveiled three-year action plan (2023-25) to bolster the AI industry, priority is set to be given to the Wuhan, Xiangyang, and Yichang sci-tech innovation centers and development zones, including the East Lake High-tech Development Zone, commonly known as Optics Valley of China (OVC). This strategic emphasis aims to establish Hubei as a national hub for AI technology innovation and application demonstration.

Over the next two years, Hubei plans to establish up to two AI key labs, construct more than five provincial-level AI innovation platforms, cultivate more than 30 AI high-tech firms with national influence, and foster around 100 specialized and sophisticated little giant companies.

In the preceding year, Hubei's core AI sectors were valued at 51.6 billion yuan, indicating a 32.6 percent increase and ranking first among the six provinces in Central China.

As of now, Wuhan is home to 650 AI enterprises, including 13 listed ones and 61 little giant companies. Additionally, 17 AI corporations from Wuhan have earned a spot on the 2023 national smart manufacturing demonstration workshop list, positioning Wuhan as the second-ranked city in China.