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Shandong Data Industry Plan: What Foreign Founders Should Know

A practical briefing for foreign founders on Shandong Province's data industry implementation opinion, covering company cultivation, data labeling, data assets, AI integration, funding, infrastructure, and outbound services.

Shandong's Data Industry Push: A Practical Briefing for Foreign Founders

The General Office of the Shandong Provincial People's Government has issued an implementation opinion aimed at accelerating high-quality development of the data industry. The document is framed around strengthening the role of data as a production factor and artificial intelligence as a driver, cultivating data enterprises and expanding the data industry. For foreign founders considering a presence in Shandong, or already operating there, the opinion signals where provincial support and administrative attention are likely to focus. Below is a practical summary of what the document actually says.

Enterprise Cultivation and Investment Attraction

Shandong plans to build a provincial data enterprise cultivation pool, with regular intake across six categories: data resources, data technology, data services, data applications, data security and data infrastructure. A tiered cultivation program will identify and support growth-stage data companies, and qualifying firms may access financial services and computing power support. By 2028, the province targets more than 25,000 data enterprises, including over 70 listed companies and more than 500 unicorns and gazelles.

The opinion also encourages traditional data-intensive companies, industry leaders and internet platform companies to set up separate data business entities through new establishment or restructuring. Traditional third-party professional firms in law, accounting, auditing and asset valuation are encouraged to expand into data-related compliance certification, security auditing, quality evaluation, asset valuation and risk assessment.

Municipalities are encouraged to refine investment promotion policies for data enterprises, identify priority targets and run targeted promotion activities. They may also revitalize idle industrial parks and office buildings, and explore equity contribution or joint construction arrangements to host data operations of leading internet companies.

Data Labeling, Resources and Asset Value

The document calls for developing data labeling and processing industries that serve artificial intelligence in cities and counties with suitable conditions, and for advancing technologies such as intelligent labeling and 4D labeling, including complex labeling for financial technology and biomedical fields. It also encourages enterprises to invest in data technology innovation across collection, storage, trading, development and security governance, and to form innovation consortia with upstream and downstream firms, universities and research institutes.

On data assets, the opinion supports authorized operators of public data in enriching product and service categories, and strengthening vertical data circulation platforms in marine, healthcare and transportation sectors. It calls for a sound data circulation and trading market system, and for new business forms such as data brokerage, data consulting and data custody. Administrative units and enterprises are to carry out data asset confirmation, measurement and information disclosure in an orderly manner, while equity contribution and financing guarantee models are to be explored prudently.

Clusters, Industrial Chains and AI Integration

Shandong will advance pilot data industry cluster zones in Jinan and Qingdao, and encourage other cities to develop smaller, specialized clusters in existing parks and commercial buildings. By 2028, the province aims to form more than 30 data industry clusters, with average annual growth of the data industry exceeding 20 percent. Digital empowerment and public service platforms are also planned to support cluster development.

The opinion supports chain-leading enterprises in connecting data resources across the full chain and in providing data and computing convenience to smaller firms. It calls for mapping the provincial data industry and compiling project and scenario lists.

On the AI side, the document promotes combining the "data element ×" and "AI +" initiatives, and developing data-as-a-service, knowledge-as-a-service and model-as-a-service formats. By 2027, it targets more than 50 high-quality industry datasets across 16 key fields, including scientific research and healthcare, to support large model training and applications. A "model-data resonance" action is to explore combining data, technology, scenarios and funding.

For traditional industries, "Data Has a Date" matchmaking activities are planned to connect data products with application scenarios. Qualified counties and districts may explore integration paths in modern agriculture, transportation, healthcare and urban governance, and traditional firms are encouraged to recruit data enterprise "partners" or license their data to data companies on market terms.

Supply, Talent, Funding and Infrastructure

The province will expand and improve public data openness, update annual open data lists and improve authorized operation mechanisms to supply high-value public data products to data enterprises. Enterprises are encouraged to strengthen data resource management and, subject to classification and protection rules, share data.

On talent, qualified data enterprises may adopt a chief data officer system. Universities, research institutes and enterprises are encouraged to jointly build data industry colleges and training bases. By 2028, the province aims to support universities in building about 10 data-related disciplines and adding about five doctoral and master's programs in the field.

Funding measures include coordinating provincial fiscal funds, recommending eligible projects for central budget investment, and supporting data enterprises in listing, issuing technology innovation bonds and pursuing data asset securitization in compliance with the law. Government investment funds will increase support, and financial institutions are guided to develop products suited to data enterprises.

Infrastructure plans include an integrated provincial computing power service platform, trusted data spaces at enterprise, industry and city levels, and a "Qilu Computing Interconnection" action to support millisecond-level computing access in metropolitan areas, with Jinan and Qingdao as pilot cities.

Outbound Services and Security

For companies going abroad, the opinion references the "Shan Hai Jing" outbound comprehensive service port to provide full-chain public services and solutions for data enterprises. It also calls for a cross-border data circulation service system, relying on the Qingdao international communications business gateway to provide low-latency, high-bandwidth and secure international data transmission. Subject to compliance, new models such as "inbound data processing" and "token export" are to be explored. Cities are encouraged to pursue national pilot programs for international data cooperation.

The document also stresses implementing the national data classification and grading protection system and strengthening security safeguards.

What This Means for Foreign Founders

For foreign founders, the opinion indicates that Shandong is building a structured support environment around data enterprises, from cultivation pools and cluster zones to funding channels and computing infrastructure. If your China entity engages in data processing, labeling, analytics, data services or AI model support, it is worth checking whether your activities fit the six enterprise categories and whether local municipal policies offer relevant support. Compliance remains central: public data use, cross-border transfers and data asset arrangements are all framed as subject to lawful and prudent procedures.

Foreign founders can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp / WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535 for help registering and operating a company in China.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.