Shanxi's provincial capital, Taiyuan, claimed the 29th spot in the 2025 Top 100 Cities in China for Data Elements, recently released by the China Center for Information Industry Development. It joins the "catching-up cluster" of cities striving to harness data as a transformative economic force.

The rankings, which evaluated four municipalities and 293 cities across market guarantee, industrial foundation, data availability, circulation and application, and security governance, highlighted a stark divide.

Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou dominated as "pioneers", their mature data ecosystems setting national benchmarks. Meanwhile, cities like Taiyuan faced the challenge of bridging institutional gaps. Unlike coastal tech hubs, this inland city lacked natural advantages in digital infrastructure, yet its placement reflected deliberate ambition.

Taiyuan's strategy unfolded through targeted partnerships and policy innovation. The municipal digital economy leadership work team spearheaded reforms, aligning with national data circulation frameworks.

Collaborations with Shenzhen and Shanghai's data exchanges provided blueprints for extracting value from information assets. Taiyuan also marked a major milestone with the launch of its data factor service hub, a physical space nurturing data-driven enterprises and fostering public-private synergies.

The city plans to accelerate data monetization while cultivating specialized market entities by building an ecosystem where data fuels everything from manufacturing to agriculture.