Wuhan hosts 1st national software innovation conference

Guests of the first China Software Innovation and Development Conference pose for a group photo. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

The first China Software Innovation and Development Conference took place in the East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC), Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, on April 15.

The event was attended and addressed by senior officials from the Hubei and Wuhan governments, and featured the signing of 23 major project agreements, worth 4.06 billion yuan ($591.14 million).

The audience at the first China Software Innovation and Development Conference on April 15. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

Ni Guangnan, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, delivered a report at the conference, followed by themed speeches from representatives of the OpenAtom Foundation, Neusoft Co, Zhejiang SUPCON Technology Co, AliResearch, and other leading corporations and research institutions.

The China Federation of Electronics and Information Industry also announced the top 40 software and information technology (IT) service enterprises and the top 60 companies empowered by smart technologies for 2022 at the conference.

At the conference venue, Wuhan's major development achievements in the software industry are displayed. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

Statistics indicate that over the last year, the number of China's software and IT service providers had exceeded 35,000, with the software business revenue surpassing the 10-trillion-yuan threshold. Hubei province alone is home to more than 1,100 software firms, and reported 255.38 billion yuan in software business sales in 2022. About 98.6 percent of the sales were contributed by its capital – Wuhan.

The Optics Valley of China is an important software industrial hub in the city, and accounts for nearly 70 percent of Wuhan's software and IT sales. A total of 13 listed software service operators, four top 100 software companies, and two leading internet firms in China have settled in the valley.