A visitor touches an automated hand at an exhibition during the second CIIE in Shanghai on Nov 6, 2019. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/chinadaily.com.cn]

North China's Shanxi province is stepping up efforts to develop the big data industry, in a bid to constantly promote industrial structure adjustment and optimization, and to serve the development of new infrastructure, new technology, new material and new equipment.

Chindata Group, a Beijing-headquartered carrier-neutral hyperscale data center solution provider, has been building its next-generation hyperscale data centers in Shanxi ever since January 2018.

According to the company, its energy data industrial base in Datong, Shanxi province, now covers an area of 33.33 hectares, and the first and second phases of the project were put into operation in 2019. The third and fourth phases will come into service by the end of this year.

When the industrial base is completed, it will integrate the local power, network, communication and other basic resources to develop artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud computing, big data, offline computing, data mining and other businesses, the company said.

"We diligently develop our hyperscale data centers at strategic locations where energy, connectivity and clients' business demands intersect. In this way, we could help customers realize their business strategy together with the long-term goal of 'go green'," said Alex Ju, founder and chief executive officer of Chindata Group.

"We are dedicated to providing more cost-effective and resilient data center services for human development, and equipping emerging countries with 'late mover' advantages while maintaining our relationships with developed countries," he said.

The industrial base explores building a new mode combining renewable energy and data centers, and uses data to serve Beijing and Tianjin as well as the Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province, in order to promote the leapfrog development of a digital Shanxi, said the company.

In May, Shanxi issued a guideline on promoting the development and application of big data, by clarifying the responsibility of the government, specifying industrial policies and introducing supporting measures.

By doing so, big data can play a better role in strengthening emerging industries, promoting the intelligent development of society, and boosting high-quality transformational development.

Chindata Group recently will release its first annual environmental, social and governance (ESG) report, reporting the company's commitments and achievements in ESG performance for 2019, and presenting a comprehensive overview of its renewable energy commitment and energy efficiency.