China should firmly grasp the opportunities from the next-generation artificial intelligence technology, which is playing an increasingly important part in accelerating the digitalization of traditional industries and promoting the in-depth integration of the digital economy with the real economy, officials and company executives said at the 6th World Intelligence Congress, which kicked off on Friday in Tianjin.

Li Hongzhong, Party secretary of Tianjin, called for efforts to build innovative industry clusters, strengthen independent innovation capacities and make breakthroughs in basic research and core technologies.

China will actively nurture an artificial intelligence innovation ecosystem and speed up the construction of intelligent information infrastructure, such as 5G networks, industrial internet, data centers, internet of things and supercomputing centers, said Xiao Yaqing, minister of industry and information technology.

Xiao said more efforts should be made to promote the digital transformation and upgrade of manufacturing and expand international cooperation in the fields of technological innovation, ethical governance, talent training and safety guarantees.

"Currently, the value of the country's core AI industries has exceeded 400 billion yuan ($59.7 billion), and the number of related enterprises stood at more than 3,000, with major breakthroughs having been made in key core technologies such as smart chips and open-source frameworks," Xiao said.

Statistics from the ministry showed the country has built about 1.7 million 5G base stations and has cultivated 150 large-scale industrial internet platforms, with more than 78 million units of industrial equipment connected to the platforms.

China has issued a plan that sets benchmarks for the country's AI sector, with the value of core AI industries predicted to exceed 1 trillion yuan, making the country one of the global leaders in AI innovation by 2030.

Tianjin, a major port city in northern China, has been actively embracing AI, intelligent manufacturing and other related smart technologies to stay abreast of key developments.

The adoption and application of technology is crucial for building an intelligent world, said Tom Duke, acting trade commissioner for China in the Department for International Trade of the United Kingdom. The UK is the guest of honor country for this year's congress.

"Data is the driving force of the digital economy. It fuels innovation, boosts productivity, increases efficiency and supports new businesses. Forty-one percent of the UK's total service exports to China and 30 percent of the UK's service imports from China are data-enabled," Duke said, while noting China has taken a leading role in developing its digital economy.

The booming digital economy has injected fresh impetus into the economy, and has served as the ballast for China's stable economic growth, said Yang Yuanqing, chairman and CEO of Lenovo Group, adding the company will help boost the digital and intelligent transformation of a wide range of industries.

Zhou Hongyi, founder of cybersecurity company 360 Security Group, emphasized the significance of pushing forward the digital transformation of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as they are facing mounting pressure from the shortage of capital, talent and technology.