Since the proposal of "new quality productivity" in September 2023, innovation in China's science and technology industry has once again accelerated. The cutting-edge technology fields represented by semiconductors, new energy, and artificial intelligence have become the leading industries in the new economic pattern brought about by new quality productivity, attracting many multinational giants to join.
As a multinational technology giant that has been deeply rooted in China for many years, Intel has also become a member of this wave. Recently, Intel held the New Quality Productivity Technology Ecology Conference in Chengdu, showcasing how it integrates into the development pattern of China's new quality productivity, as well as its latest achievements in digitalization, intelligence, and greening with more than 2000 Chinese ecological partners.
In 2023, the proportion of the digital economy in China's GDP has reached 42.8%, with a growth rate exceeding the level of GDP development and becoming the main driving force of economic growth. "Wang Rui, Senior Vice President of Intel Corporation and Chairman of Intel China, pointed out at the conference that this highlights China's important position in the global digital economy and the potential for new quality productivity. Behind all of this is the continuous advancement of semiconductor technology, which drives the growth of computing power and lays a solid foundation for the development of the digital world.
In October of this year, Intel announced the expansion of its Chengdu packaging and testing base, the addition of server chip production capacity, and the establishment of a one-stop customer solution center. Wang Rui pointed out that these two constructions will accelerate the matching of China's local industrial chain, enhance support capabilities for Chinese customers, and further consolidate Intel's leadership position in the Chinese market.
Realize mass production of 18A process by 2025
Looking at the present and future, AI has become the most popular hot topic in the field of new quality productivity. As the supporting hardware for computing power improvement, semiconductors to some extent determine the speed of AI advancement. According to institutional calculations, for every 1% increase in computing power, the digital economy can grow by 0.4%, highlighting the importance of computing power in the future digital world.
Wang Rui stated that generative AI is becoming a new engine for the global economy, and it is expected that by 2030, the economic contribution of global generative AI will reach $7 trillion, of which China's contribution will reach $2 trillion. The rapid deployment of AI applications has raised higher requirements for semiconductor technology, especially in terms of performance, power consumption, integration, and reliability. To this end, Intel has launched a full stack AI product portfolio including Core Ultra processors, Xeon Scalable processors, Gaudi deep learning accelerators, Intel GPUs, and more.
Wang Rui recently revealed that Intel will launch the Intel 18A process node in the future and achieve mass production by 2025. In addition, the next generation AI PC processor Panther Lake and data center processor Clearwater Forest based on Intel 18A process will also be released in 2025. These technological advancements will significantly enhance the computing power support for AI applications and provide a solid foundation for the future era of intelligence.
In terms of promoting the implementation of AI technology applications, Wang Rui specifically mentioned that Intel is accelerating the landing of AI applications from the cloud to the edge. With the surge in AI workloads, Intel's AI hardware product portfolio has covered various needs from data centers to personal PCs. In the PC field, Intel has proposed the concept of "AI PC", and it is expected that by the end of 2025, the cumulative shipment of AI PCs will exceed 100 million units, becoming an important tool for new quality productivity.
Wang Rui also emphasized that AI PC will greatly enhance personal productivity, especially in the field of program development. AI PC will enable programmers to interact with computers through natural language, simplify the programming process, and improve development efficiency. Among them, the intelligent programming assistant launched by Intel and its Chinese partner Zhipu is a typical case, which supports more than 300 programming languages and can work efficiently offline, providing developers with a new tool.
Wang Rui also pointed out that Intel will separate "Intel Foundry" and establish an independent subsidiary to further strengthen the independence and autonomy of "Intel Foundry", in order to better serve the company's products and the needs of external customers.
Continue to deepen layout in the Chinese market
In terms of sharing experience on how to integrate China's new quality productivity, Wang Rui pointed out that Intel focuses on accurately understanding the needs of the Chinese market and launching customized products and solutions locally, always emphasizing deep cooperation with China's local industrial ecosystem. In August of this year, Intel released the world's first in car discrete graphics card in Shenzhen, tailored specifically for the Chinese market. This product will help car manufacturers make breakthroughs in the field of software defined cars and bring users a brand new AI car cabin experience.
In order to cope with the increasing computing power demand and energy consumption challenges of data centers, in addition to increasing server chip production capacity in Chengdu, Intel has also launched the "Intel China Data Center Liquid Cooling Innovation Acceleration Plan" in conjunction with the industry ecosystem to promote the development of liquid cooling technology in data centers, thereby reducing energy consumption and improving operational efficiency of data centers. Wang Rui stated that this plan will accelerate the sustainable development of Chinese data centers and provide strong support for the green transformation of global data centers.
In addition, a reporter from China Business News learned at the meeting that Intel has also promoted the development of open source technology, with over 90% of global open source projects and experiences benefiting the Chinese ecosystem and customers. By collaborating with local developers and ISVs, Intel has expanded the AI PC software ecosystem and promoted the widespread implementation of AI applications.
Wang Rui emphasized that in the complex global environment, Intel maintains a proactive attitude and will continue to deepen its layout in the Chinese market, leveraging China's advantages in high-level opening-up and high-quality development to assist the company's development and innovation.
As Intel celebrates its 40th anniversary in China, the company will be more determined to move towards the forefront of the global digital economy and work together with partners to open a brilliant chapter of new quality productivity. Wang Rui pointed out that Intel's sustained development in China cannot be separated from the support and cooperation of all parties. In the future, Intel will continue to deeply cultivate the Chinese market and work together with industry partners to create a new era of digitization, intelligence, and greening.