The Global Developers Conference (GDC) has officially opened in Shanghai, highlighting China's significant advancements in open-source software development. This year's conference has positioned open-source as a central theme, driven by the remarkable achievements of DeepSeek.
According to a report presented by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) at the conference, China now ranks second globally in the number of open-source contributors. The MIIT data, as of 2024, shows that the number of software developers in China has surpassed 9.4 million. Additionally, a report by the Cloud Computing Standards and Open Source Promotion Committee under the China Communications Standards Association reveals that Chinese projects account for 17 percent of global open-source software, securing China's position as the second-largest contributor worldwide.
Harry Shum, former executive vice president of Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Research group, delivered a keynote speech emphasizing China's transition from being a beneficiary to a prominent contributor in the global open-source community. Shum, now the chairman of the council at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, highlighted the impact of open-sourcing large Chinese models like DeepSeek. He expressed confidence that more Chinese teams will lead the way in shaping the future of open-source innovation.
The second edition of the GDC aims to connect participants by facilitating project funding, service access, market exploration, team building, technology exploration, and partnership opportunities. The event serves as a crucial platform for resource alignment and industry integration among developers, further solidifying China's influential role in the global technology landscape.
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Global Developers Conference opens in China: Open-source a hot topic
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