Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province, has seen rapid growth in its digital economy, with a particularly impressive software industry, positioning the city as a key player in China's digital economy landscape.

From January to August, the output of Jinan's new generation information technology industrial chain grew an impressive 16.2 percent to 473.3 billion yuan ($66 billion), according to the high-quality development conference on the digital transformation of the construction industry, which was held in Jinan on Oct 30. The city's software industry saw strong growth during this period, with Jinan securing the seventh spot nationwide in this year's Software City rankings.

In recent years, Jinan has been actively advancing digital development, leading to a continuous expansion of the digital economy, enhancing the core competitiveness of local enterprises.

Jinan's strong software industry has given rise to renowned companies and products, such as Inspur Group, Hoteam Software and Dareway. Noteworthy projects like China Algorithm Valley, Huawei's regional headquarters, SAP's Northern Empowerment Center, and iFLYTEK's Northern Headquarters for English Listening and Speaking have made major strides in Jinan in recent years.

In the realm of digitalization within the construction industry, Jinan has been actively promoting a digital transformation route encompassing Building Information Modeling (BIM), Construction Information Modeling (CIM), and intelligent manufacturing.

The city has established the Intelligent Construction Industry Chain Alliance, initiated over 50 digital construction pilot projects, and had 27 enterprises selected to join the Shandong Intelligent Construction Industry Alliance. Significant breakthroughs have been achieved in BIM technology application and the interconnection of the construction industry.