A night view of Jinan, capital of Shandong province. [Photo/VCG]

Jinan, the capital of East China's Shandong province, recently secured the 14th spot on the list of China's "Top 100 Digital Cities", as per a report by CCID Consulting. This marks in an increase over its previous ranking, showcasing the city's achievements in digital transformation.

Being a pivotal hub in Shandong's initiative to bolster its digital prowess, Jinan has maintained a strategic focus on digital urban development.

In recent years, the city has been constructing a digital ecosystem, achieving digital application breakthroughs, and fully embracing the digital wave to expedite the industrialization and digitization of its industries

Jinan has strengthened key digital industry projects, industrial clusters and parks while implementing a series of initiatives to empower its digital economy and fortify crucial digital support.

The digital economy has helped Jinan move toward achieve green, low-carbon and high-quality development, serving as a pivotal growth driver and strategic backbone in the city's mission to become more economically competitive. Jinan has built a total of 49,000 5G base stations, achieving comprehensive 5G network coverage across the main urban area, ranking first in the province by number of stations.

Jinan has actively introduced new technologies like IoT and AI to expand its deployment of smart sensing devices for urban management. By applying AI recognition algorithms to mobile vehicle data and surveillance footage, the city facilitates intelligent identification and automatic reporting of management issues. This initiative has created a variety of practical and effective applications, significantly advancing the intelligence level in city management.

As the digital revolution gains momentum, the city is enabling enterprises to increase efficiency at minimal cost through smart equipment, processes, and production lines. For example, in the production workshop of Taishan Steel Group, a 760-meter-long production line operates with a mere six workers.

Jinan's digital economy is surging ahead, with its core industries surpassing an output value of 600 billion yuan ($84 billion) last year, while its value-added component is projected to account for over 19 percent of the regional GDP.