Capital to become major data hub

Beijing will become China's big data and cloud computing innovation center by 2020. To accomplish this, the local authorities said the city will complete related development projects and cultivate more than 500 firms in the sector.

The big data and cloud computing industry will reach a total output of more than 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) by then, according to a government plan announced by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology on August 19.

"More than 90 percent of governmental departments will open their data to the public, which will increase the efficiency of data usage," said Mao Dongjun, deputy dead of the commission.