Hangzhou's 'City Brain' system makes waves at intl expo

Hangzhou presents its urban management system known as "City Brain" at the 2019 Hong Kong International ICT Expo from April 13 to 16. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Hangzhou's "City Brain", an intelligent system aimed at optimizing the management of traffic and urban governance, proved to be a hit at the Hong Kong International ICT Expo from April 13 to 16.

The "City Brain" project, initiated by Alibaba Group's cloud computing arm Alibaba Cloud in 2017, leverages the advanced technologies of big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence to bring about better social governance.

Invited by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), a delegation of the "City Brain" operation team and representatives of more than 20 high-tech companies from Hangzhou showcased their products and platforms to overseas visitors at the ICT Expo, a sci-tech exhibition with global clout.

This marks the first time the project has been shown at an international exhibition and is significant to Hangzhou's efforts in promoting itself, according to Niu Jian from the Hangzhou Development and Reform Commission.

The Hangzhou delegation occupied a 270-square-meter exhibition area with a huge screen displaying the applications of the project in the fields of traffic, healthcare and tourism.

Niu said countries and regions around the world are seeking to digitalize urban management, and the "City Brain" system is able to cater to these demands.

A delegation from Saudi Arabia visits Hangzhou to learn more about the "City Brain" project on April 17. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

During the expo, the Hangzhou delegation organized four matchmaking events for the project and had face-to-face talks with government and business representatives from West Asian and ASEAN countries such as Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Thailand.

Officials from the city development and management bureau of Riyad, capital of Saudi Arabia, showed strong interest in Hangzhou's solution to traffic congestion and parking problems. The delegation had a 2.5-hour discussion with Hangzhou participants on April 13 and flew to the East China city four days later for further investigation.

An official from HKTDC said developing digital economy is one of Zhejiang's priorities and Hangzhou is without a doubt leading other Chinese cities when it comes to digital development. "We appreciate the achievements Hangzhou has made in making the city smarter and hope the 'City Brain' project can go global via Hong Kong," said the official.