Shandong province's big data industry has made huge strides, with the sector playing a pivotal role in new quality productive forces and the province's industrial transformation. In 2024, Shandong has focused on using data as a key driver for its industrial modernization, leading to substantial growth in the big data-related industry.

The big data industry in Shandong has shown a strong trajectory. In the first three quarters of the year, 950 key big data enterprises in Shandong generated revenues totaling 180.76 billion yuan ($24.6 billion), representing a year-on-year increase of 26.3 percent. This places Shandong fourth in the country, and the province is expected to surpass 260 billion yuan in total revenue for the entire year.

The large language model (LLM) industry has also seen rapid development. In the first three quarters, 103 key LLM enterprises were identified in Shandong, with 146 LLM products passing third-party evaluations. These products generated a total business revenue of 2.48 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 176.7 percent.

Shandong has also promoted the clustered development of the digital economy. The province has newly cultivated 38 provincial-level digital economy parks, focusing on both digital industrialization and industrial digitalization. Among these parks, 12 are focused on digital industrialization, while 26 are focused on industrial digitalization.

These developments highlight Shandong's commitment to becoming a digital powerhouse and its competencies in using big data to drive economic growth and innovation.