Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province, has been included in the first batch of provincial-level pilot new smart cities, according to a statement from Shanxi Development and Reform Commission on June 17.

In addition to Taiyuan, the prefecture-level cities of Datong, Yangquan, and Jincheng have also been identified in the same category. Meanwhile the county-level cities of Huairen and Hejin, as well as the counties of Lingshi and Hongtong have been identified as pilot new smart counties. 

The development of the provincial smart pilot cities and counties should be driven by technological innovation – supported by 5G, big data, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, blockchain and other new-generation information technology applications.

These cities and counties should carry out the digital and intelligent transformation of traditional urban infrastructure – focusing on the areas of civil services, governance, industrial development, information resources and network security.

The establishment of the first batch of pilot new smart cities and counties will take two years, after which the program will be assessed.

Once completed, it is expected that they will serve as examples for the construction of other new smart cities in Shanxi.