China unveils national plan to boost AI training data supply amid global shortage
China is set to utilize data as a fundamental strategic resource, focusing on the creation of industry-specific data sets to enhance its upcoming artificial intelligence models, as developers globally face an impending data shortage. On Monday, the National Data Administration revealed an extensive national initiative aimed at increasing the availability of high-quality AI training data, highlighting Beijing's determination to achieve a dominant role in the international AI arena. The draft plan, shared online, presents a comprehensive strategy to enhance the supply, distribution, and commercialization of specialized data sets. By 2028, the agency intends to establish a vast ecosystem of validated data covering essential sectors such as scientific research, manufacturing, agriculture, energy, transport, finance, healthcare, education, and e-commerce, along with advanced areas like embodied AI and autonomous driving.
Key facts
- China's National Data Administration published a draft plan to expand supply, circulation and commercialisation of industry-specific data sets.
- The plan supports Beijing's AI Plus strategy to integrate AI into the economy.
- By 2028, the agency aims to have validated data sets covering scientific research, manufacturing, agriculture, energy, transport, finance, healthcare, education and e-commerce.
- Cutting-edge fields like embodied AI, autonomous driving, low-altitude aviation and biomanufacturing are also included.
- The plan calls for expansion into multimodal data (text, code, images, audio, video).
- The initiative aims to train advanced AI systems capable of complex reasoning, agentic behaviour and controlling intelligent robots.
- The plan was unveiled on Monday.
- Global AI developers face a looming data shortage.
Entities
Institutions
- National Data Administration
Locations
- China
- Beijing