China launches state-owned data group to fuel its AI ambitions

China has a new state-owned company, and its job is to turn the country’s vast pile of data into fuel for artificial intelligence. The China National Data Group Co., Ltd. launched on October 20, 2026, in Xiongan New Area in Hebei province. Beijing is treating data the way earlier generations treated steel: as a strategic resource that needs a national champion. What the new group will actually do The group is designated as a national platform. Its brief covers three areas: sharing data across industries, governing that data, and providing secure data services. A core part of the mission is producing high-quality datasets. That matters because AI systems are only as good as the material they learn from. The group is also tasked with advancing China’s “AI Plus” initiative and building out what officials describe as a comprehensive data ecosystem. Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang spoke at the launch ceremony. He emphasized the group’s role in strengthening China’s leadership in AI. Officials framed the creation of the group as a strategic decision by the leadership under President Xi Jinping. They said its purpose is to optimize how resources are used within the fast-growing AI sector and t...