Sichuan Sub-competition Finals of 2026 Data Element × Competition held in Zigong

The Sichuan Sub-competition Finals of the 2026 Data Element × Competition and a series of activities under the Data Element × City Tour were held in Zigong, Sichuan province, from Aug. 24 to 26, bringing together about 800 government officials, academicians and experts, digital economy enterprises, competition judges and participants to explore how data can drive innovation and boost the development of the digital economy.

Under the theme "Data Empowerment, Multiplying Forward," the event featured project competitions, keynote presentations, supply-and-demand matchmaking and visits to industrial parks. It aimed to unlock the value of data as a key factor of production, inject new momentum into the digital economy and promote high-quality development of the digital industries in southern Sichuan.

The event consisted of two major components: the competition finals and the Zigong leg of the City Tour. The competition encompasses 16 industry-specific tracks, including data elements × industrial manufacturing, modern agriculture, commercial circulation, transportation, financial services, scientific and technological innovation, medical and health services, medical security, emergency management, meteorological services, urban governance, green and low-carbon development, human resources, sports development, cultural heritage protection and utilization, and traditional Chinese medicine. It also includes one professional track dedicated to data infrastructure.

Since the competition was launched in June, it has attracted extensive participation from enterprises, research institutes and university teams. At the finals, contestants from across Sichuan presented and defended their projects in their respective tracks, competing over innovative applications of data in various sectors. Their projects showcased Sichuan's achievements and talent pool of data development and utilization professionals, whilst also revealing practical applications of data-driven solutions.

Four new facilities were unveiled during the event, including the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of the Urban Safety Development Science and Technology Institute (Zigong), the Joint Laboratory for Supervision and Evaluation of Data Circulation and Utilization (Zigong), the Joint Laboratory for Data Circulation and Utilization Applications and Value (Zigong), and the Zigong Data Element Service Platform. The launch of these facilities marks a significant step forward in the development of Zigong's data infrastructure. 

The event also saw the release of the Sichuan Data Element High-Quality Scenario List and Zigong's Digital Economy Development and Data Scenario List, providing an important platform for matching data supply with demand across the province.

By now, Zigong has established a matrix of specialized data laboratories across six key areas — robotics, the low-altitude economy, urban safety, culture and tourism, healthcare, and government services — in collaboration with national-level research platforms and leading companies in various industries.