Chinese province pitches big data in Silicon Valley

SAN FRANCISCO - Making public their ambitions to build a Data Valley, officials from Guizhou, a province in southwestern China, engaged their counterparts and technology industry professionals in San Jose, arguably the capital of Silicon Valley.

At the ballroom of a hotel on Friday, the Chinese officials led by Qin Rupei, executive vice-governor of Guizhou, took turns to brief their audience of more 200 people on their achievements over the past two years, when the province launched a big data pilot zone with the blessing of China's central government.

They also listened to a parade of local officials who were happy that the event took place in Northern California, especially in Silicon Valley, where big data industry is more relevant than ever, and to representatives from some American businesses, about their expectation of the future application of big data as their roadway into the Chinese market.

Ho Wai Wong-Lam, Vice President of NXP Semiconductor in charge of strategy, was among the audience. Noting that she had been doing business in China for many years but had never been to Guizhou, Wong-Lam said she saw some areas where her company has expertise to offer and might travel to the Chinese province real soon.

A senior administrator from Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou, said there have been ongoing cooperation projects between the city and research institutions in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the University of California, Berkeley, where he would visit the next day, in the area of big data research and applications.

It was the second visit for Guizhou officials to Silicon Valley. Last September officials from Guizhou presented the province as China's future big data industry hub.