BEIJING, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – During the first half of 2026, China’s digital industry achieved a revenue of 20.71 trillion yuan, marking a 13.6% increase compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, total profits grew by 19.3%, reaching 1.79 trillion yuan. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology indicated an industry profit margin of 8.6%, which is 0.7 percentage points higher than the previous year. These figures encompass key segments of China’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
Leading regional digital markets in China maintained their dominance throughout this six-month period. The top 10 provincial-level markets generated a combined revenue of 17.21 trillion yuan, reflecting a 13.2% rise year-over-year. These regions collectively contributed to 83.1% of the nation’s total digital industry revenue and accounted for 87% of the sector’s overall growth. Guangdong, Jiangsu, Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang continued to stand out as some of the country’s primary digital industry hubs.
Growth in Central China surpassed the national average for the digital sector, with regional revenue reaching 2.86 trillion yuan, an increase of 28.3% from the previous year. During the first half, China also made significant advancements in its communications and computing infrastructure. By the end of June, the country had established 5.102 million 5G base stations and supported 32.86 million 10G PON ports that facilitate gigabit network services. The number of 5G RedCap base stations reached 2.247 million.
Expansion of Computing Power and 5G Infrastructure
China’s intelligent computing capacity hit 2,185 EFLOPS using FP16 metrics during this period, representing a 177% increase compared to the previous year. The overall utilization rate of computing facilities was 71.4%. Furthermore, China developed 52 intelligent computing centers, each equipped with more than 10,000 accelerator cards. Over 80,000 private 5G networks operated nationwide, with authorities monitoring more than 26,000 active projects integrating 5G and industrial internet technologies across China.
In addition, digital manufacturing demonstrated robust progress in production, revenue, and profitability. The electronics industry’s value-added output grew by 14.8% compared to last year. Major electronic information manufacturers generated 12.15 trillion yuan in revenue, up 17.8%, with their combined profits increasing by 66%, reaching 703.6 billion yuan. The earnings growth was driven by segments like integrated circuits, computer manufacturing, and specialized electronic materials. During this period, electronics output growth outpaced the overall industrial growth rate by 9.4 percentage points.
Software and Internet Services Continue to Drive Growth
The software and information technology services industry in China persisted in its expansion, paralleling advances in digital manufacturing. Revenue within this sector increased by 9.5% during the first half of 2026. Revenue from software products rose by 6.9%, whereas information technology services revenue grew by 10.4%. Major internet enterprises reported a 10.1% boost in revenue, with total profits rising by 16.6% compared to the same period last year. Telecommunications activity also saw an 8.3% increase when measured at constant prices.
Compared to China’s overall economy in the first six months of 2026, the digital sector grew at a faster pace. The National Bureau of Statistics recorded a national economic growth rate of 4.7% for this period. The sectors of information transmission, software, and information technology services contributed a 10.7% increase in added value. China’s digital industry comprises electronic information manufacturing, telecommunications, software, information technology services, and internet-related sectors. Collectively, these segments generated trillions of yuan in revenue across China during the first half of the year.