The 2025 China International Big Data Industry Expo opens on August 28 in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou Province. Photo: Organizing Committee of the Expo

The 2025 China International Big Data Industry Expo, which has opened in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, has become a fresh window for global cooperation, drawing representatives from countries including the US, Singapore, the UK and Europe, who voiced strong confidence in China's digital economy and eagerness to seek new partnership opportunities.

The expo, held from August 28 to 30, features 26 exchange events and 34 special sessions, and has attracted more than 16,000 registered participants and 375 exhibitors from China and abroad, according to official data.

The expo has introduced a "Digital Silk Road" matchmaking zone for the first time, in which 25 companies from the US, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Russia, Malaysia, Canada, Saudi Arabia and India are showcasing technology and products ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain to smart homes, smart business and intelligent manufacturing. 

Hanno Focken, managing director of Germany's Catena-X Automotive Network, the first open data ecosystem for the automotive industry, told the Global Times that China is becoming an increasingly important partner in the development of global trusted data spaces for the automotive industry. "Over the past year, we shifted from raising awareness to actual implementation in China, ensuring our platforms meet Chinese requirements and regulations," he said. 

"We are actively working with Chinese partners on standardization and identity trust anchors, and we see the data space community in China's automotive sector flourishing. We want to be part of this growth, learn from Chinese peers, and share our own experiences. This is not about Europe leading - it must be a joint governance model built together."

Focken, on his first visit to China, said he was impressed by the Big Data Expo in Guiyang. "Every panel stressed collaboration in data management and governance, which fits our vision," he noted. "China's strong push for digital innovation and rapid progress in trusted data spaces make it one of the most exciting markets. We welcome more Chinese companies to join Catena-X's board to help shape this global initiative."

Zhu Mingyan, a representative of White Horse Laboratories from the US, which provides high-performance testing solutions for electronic components, told the Global Times that the company has been operating in Shenzhen for 21 years, focusing on failure analysis and quality control. "We work closely with original equipment manufacturers and electronic manufacturing service factories as well as tier-one suppliers, covering components such as CPUs, GPUs, hard drives and memory modules," Zhu said.

She acknowledged that market conditions in recent years have affected the business in China. "Until 2022, performance was strong, but we saw some decline in 2023 and 2024 before beginning to recover in 2025," Zhu said. "Chinese mainland remains our largest market."

Sein Chan, a representative of Spark OS from Singapore, told the Global Times that the company has developed an AI-powered adaptive and behavioral learning platform designed to support children, including those who are neurodivergent. "You can imagine our AI agent as both a tutor and a kind of therapist," she said. "It not only delivers lessons but also understands a child's expressions and emotions, offering encouragement and adjusting the learning approach accordingly. Built on large language models with our own algorithms, the system provides teachers with detailed analytics, helping them track students' engagement and progress far more effectively than through observation alone."

She noted that Spark OS has been working with Singapore's Nanyang Technological University and is now exploring opportunities in China. "Our mission started with helping under-resourced and neurodivergent children through a non-profit initiative, but we are also looking at commercial applications in collaboration with Chinese schools and organizations," Chan said. "China's vast education market and strong emphasis on digital innovation make it a very exciting place for us to expand."

Experts said China's strengths in computing power, data resources and application scenarios are opening broad opportunities for global firms. The expo, they noted, not only showcases China's digital progress but also provides a platform for deeper international cooperation, reinforcing its role as a driver of global digital transformation.