IDC: China's GenAI sector investment surges

Driven by rapid technological advancement, China is expected to see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 86.2 percent for generative artificial intelligence (AI) investment between 2022 and 2027, according to a newly released report from Research firm IDC, showcasing the robust prospects of the country's high-tech sector.

Thanks to the government's rising efforts to accelerate high-quality development, China's generative AI spending is set to reach 33 percent of the world's AI investment by 2027, up from 4.6 percent in 2022 with the generative AI investments probably reaching $13 billion, according to the report.

China's performance is outstanding amid overall global growth in the industry, which is projected to reach $512.42 billion by 2027, with a CAGR of 31.1 percent, IDC forecasted in its Worldwide Artificial Intelligence Spending Guide.

The report also underscored China's leading position in AI investment within the Asia-Pacific region, surpassing half of the total investment in the region. As of 2027, China`s AI investment is set to exceed $40 billion, representing a CAGR of 25.6 percent. 

Generative AI is poised to become a pivotal technology in enterprise automation. Banking, retail, software, and information services are cited as the top three spenders driving its innovation and growth, collectively constituting nearly a third of the market, according to the report.

Since 2014, China's AI development has been accelerating, driven by the surging application demand within the domestic market. According to an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), China's AI industry output value reached 580 billion yuan ($80.23 billion) in 2023, up 18 percent year-on-year. The number of major AI-related enterprises has exceeded 4,400, ranking second in the world.

China's AI development has been rising rapidly amid the government's ramped-up efforts to develop new quality productive forces. The country has announced a slew of plans to enhance industrial innovation, and accelerate AI-driven manufacturing, led by large language models, to speed up the establishment of a modern industrial system, an official from MIIT said recently.