CHANGSHA, Sept. 15 -- The scale of China's computing industry hit 2.6 trillion yuan (about 362.2 billion dollars) in 2022, according to the 2023 World Computing Conference, which opened on Friday in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province.

"The new generation of information and communication technology has transformed the pattern of economic and social development," said Zhao Zhiguo, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Zhao said that computing technology and the computing industry are showing strong vitality and immeasurable potential through disruptive innovation, and they are driving digital transformation across the board.

Over the last six years, China has shipped over 20.91 million general servers and 820,000 artificial intelligence (AI) servers, according to a white paper released at the conference by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

Zhou Jinjun, deputy general manager of the China Electronics Corporation, said that attention should be paid to the development of independent, safe and advanced computing power, the construction of closely related technology and product clusters, and the formation of a competitive industrial system.

Themed "Calculating the World to Create a New Era - New Changes in the Computing Industry," the conference focuses on fields such as advanced computing, digital infrastructure, and AI and smart societies.