With their enthusiasm for new technologies and development of artificial intelligence (AI), China is a leading country in their advances in data collection, investment infrastructure and government support - and will help lead the smart city development, experts believe.
"Almost every city's mayor is talking about smart city, big data, AI and cloud computing," says Li Yangming, a senior IT expert at China National Petroleum Corporation. "Massive data is collected for analytics and AI apps in China. Subway systems are being built at a rapid speed in almost every major city, and low-cost mobile services are offered by three major telecoms carriers in China."
China has long pioneered the smart city development; street sensors monitor for traffic tracking and control, whilst garage sensors guide drivers towards empty parking spaces. In 2012, the country began a national smart city development to encourage the use of new technologies. AI and Internet-of-Things (IoT) were implemented to relive traffic flows, improve law enforcement and making public buildings more energy efficient. Currently, there are around ten Alibaba City Brain projects operating by using AI algorithms to monitor and control traffic signals and street cameras.
‘China started implementing smart cities many years ago and it has developed very quickly,’ said Wenli Yu, a serial entrepreneur and business executive of technology companies in silicone valley. ‘Chinese people are enthusiastic about adopting new technologies’.