BEIJING, Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The United Nations International Digital Economy Governance and Leadership Capacity Building Programme officially opened at Beijing Electronic Digital & Intelligence (BEDI). A delegation of 34 ministerial and municipal representatives from 17 countries visited the Beijing Digital Economy Computing Power Center, which is planned and operated by BEDI. Through a combination of site visits and case‑based learning, the delegates systematically studied BEDI's proven experience and implementation pathways in translating urban AI infrastructure into sustainable productivity.
The program was co-hosted by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Global Digital Economy City Alliance (DEC40), the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, and the Administrative Committee of Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, and was organized by the Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center. Guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Digital Compact, this program aims to share China's successful practices in digital economy governance, support developing countries in strengthening digital transformation capabilities, and jointly foster an equitable, inclusive, and sustainable global digital ecosystem.
On the day of the event, Zhao Hongyu, Vice President of Strategic Consulting at BEDI, joined academic experts from the Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center for an in-depth discussion on "scaling AI adoption", focusing on how cities can progress from investing in computing power to acquiring AI capabilities.
Against the backdrop of the comprehensive advancement of AI+ Initiative, and addressing the reality that cities vary widely in development levels and industrial structures, BEDI leverages the full‑stack capabilities of its "Spark • Platform" and adheres to a "one‑strategy‑per‑locality" industrial‑operation approach to precisely address the pain points of urban digital intelligent transformation. Zhao Hongyu shared the example of City J's AI productivity construction, where the Spark • Grand Platform deeply integrates the full‑stack "data‑computing‑model‑application" capabilities with tailored "industrial operation" expertise, delivering a "1+4+N+6" AI productivity‑building solution that meets local needs. Centered on building a city‑level AI foundation, the solution creates an AI commercial closed‑loop through dynamic computing‑power allocation and drives industrial innovation through ecosystem enablement, accurately empowering six major fields including technology, industry, and government services to efficiently advance local digital intelligence upgrading.
Powered by the innovative "data‑computing‑model‑application + industrial operation" model of the Spark • Platform, BEDI has established multi-industry partnerships with more than 20 cities. On site, Zhao Hongyu demonstrated BEDI's benchmark AI practice cases across various domains, including batch AI video generation for e-commerce and short-form video, AI-personalized home renovation design for the home furnishing industry, AI‑powered digital profiles for city tourism and cultural creativity, and AI courses for key primary and secondary schools in Beijing. To date, BEDI has formed a diversified enablement landscape spanning AI+ healthcare, government services, education, manufacturing, cultural tourism and more, achieving deep integration of technology and industry.
While strengthening China's domestic AI industry ecosystem, BEDI continues to refine replicable and scalable urban digital intelligence solutions, offering reference models for global urban AI development. Looking ahead, BEDI will further deepen cooperation with the United Nations and other international organizations, with a focus on cutting-edge fields such as trustworthy AI, secure data flows, and green digital transformation.
Through technology sharing, experience exchange, and talent empowerment, BEDI is committed to extending the benefits of digital economy development to more countries and contributing China's expertise to the advancement of the global digital ecosystem.
