BEIJING, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – During the first half of 2026, China’s digital industry brought in a total revenue of 20.71 trillion yuan, reflecting a 13.6% increase compared to the same period last year. The sector’s net profit reached 1.79 trillion yuan, which is 19.3% higher than the previous year’s figures. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology noted that revenue growth in the industry accelerated by 4.1 percentage points from the same timeframe in 2025. Meanwhile, profit margins improved to 8.6%, up 0.7 percentage point.
The majority of the national digital revenue was generated by China’s leading digital hubs. The top 10 provincial-level markets collectively earned 17.21 trillion yuan, marking a 13.2% rise. These regions accounted for 83.1% of the entire digital industry revenue and contributed 87% of the total revenue growth. Among them, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang are prominent. Central China’s digital industry revenue totaled 2.86 trillion yuan, which is a 28.3% increase from the previous year.
During this period, digital infrastructure also saw significant expansion. As of June, China had 5.102 million 5G base stations. Additionally, the country maintained 32.86 million 10G PON ports capable of supporting gigabit network services. The number of 5G RedCap base stations reached 2.247 million. Intelligent computing power increased to 2,185 EFLOPS using FP16 measurement, representing a 177% rise year-over-year. Overall utilization of computing resources stood at 71.4%.
Expansion of China’s Digital Infrastructure
China had established 52 intelligent computing facilities, each equipped with over 10,000 accelerator cards, by the end of June. More than 80,000 private 5G industry networks were active nationwide. Applications utilizing 5G and gigabit optical networks spanned across 94 major sectors of the economy. Additionally, China supported more than 26,000 ongoing 5G and industrial internet projects. Authorities also reported the creation of 1,260 classified 5G factories across the country.
Manufacturing in the digital sphere experienced faster growth in both production and earnings during the first half. The electronics sector saw a 14.8% increase in value-added output compared to last year. Revenue from key electronic information manufacturers hit 12.15 trillion yuan, a rise of 17.8%. Their combined profit surged by 66% to reach 703.6 billion yuan. Sectors such as integrated circuits, computer manufacturing, and specialized electronic materials played major roles in boosting profits. The growth of electronics output surpassed the overall industrial growth rate by 9.4 percentage points.
Continued Growth in Software and IT Services
China’s digital services industry also demonstrated sustained expansion during the first six months of 2026. The total volume of telecommunications business increased by 8.3% at constant prices compared to the same period last year. Revenue from software and information technology services grew by 9.5%. Specifically, software product sales rose 6.9%, while IT services revenue advanced 10.4%. Major internet enterprises reported a 10.1% increase in revenue and a 16.6% rise in total profit compared to the same period in 2025.
These digital industry figures emerge as technology-related services continue to outpace broader economic growth. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s economy expanded by 4.7% in the first half of 2026. The sectors of information transmission, software, and information technology services experienced a 10.7% increase in value added during this period. China’s digital economy encompasses electronic information manufacturing, telecommunications, software and IT services, as well as internet-related services, all of which constitute a core part of the country’s broader digital development.