Exploring the Innovation and Development of Domestic Databases: The 25th China International Software Expo · China Database Industry Summit Successfully Held

On September 1, 2023, guided by Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology and hosted by General Data Technology Co., Ltd., the 25th China International Software Expo · China Database Industry Summit was successfully held in Tianjin. Supported by CCID Consulting Co., Ltd., Tianjin Software Industry Association, Tianjin IT Application Innovation Association, and Beijing Software and Information Services Association, the summit, themed "On the Road: The Path to Innovation and Development of Domestic Databases," explored a new ecosystem for the database industry and witnessed the ongoing journey of domestic database innovation and development.

The event received on-site support from Chen Bo, Deputy District Mayor of Tianjin Binhai New Area; Cui Tongxiang, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Binhai High-tech Zone; Yang Dongmei, Chief Economist of Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology; Academician Shen Changxiang of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Li Zhanhuai, Chair of the Database Technical Committee of the China Computer Federation; Li Wei, Deputy Director of the Software Department of the National Industrial Information Security Development Research Center; and Song Yu, Vice President of CCID Consulting Co., Ltd. Additionally, responsible persons from departments such as the Cyberspace Administration of Tianjin, Tianjin State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Tianjin Municipal Health Commission, Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission, Tianjin Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Tianjin Market Supervision and Administration Committee, Tianjin Civil Air Defense Office, Tianjin Meteorological Bureau, Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources, Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Justice, Tianjin Big Data Management Center, Tianjin Housing Provident Fund Management Center, Tianjin SME Service Center, and Tianjin Equity Exchange Center, as well as over 300 guests from universities, research institutes, state-owned system user entities, software associations from multiple regions, news media, and enterprise representatives from across the country attended the event.

Deputy Director Cui Tongxiang of the Binhai High-tech Zone Administrative Committee stated in his speech that Tianjin is currently focusing on building the China Xinchuang Valley (IT Application Innovation Valley), having fostered a large number of IT application innovation enterprises including GBASE, and has established a solid foundation in the software industry. In the future, a collaborative IT application innovation ecosystem will be built to drive the Xinchuang industry to become a growth engine for Tianjin's "manufacturing-driven" strategy and high-quality leapfrog development.

In her speech, Yang Dongmei, Chief Economist of the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, pointed out that as core foundational software, the database is a key direction for China's technological breakthroughs. The bureau is steadily advancing the municipal government's "Ten Key Actions," focusing on enhancing indigenous database R&D capabilities, accelerating the innovation and development of foundational software such as databases, breaking monopolies comprehensively, achieving independent control, and catching up with and surpassing international leading levels.

Academician Shen Changxiang of the Chinese Academy of Engineering delivered a keynote speech titled "Creating a New Ecosystem for Secure and Trusted Data Intelligent Storage." He emphasized that cybersecurity is the foundation of the digital economy. Currently, cyberattacks are extending from digital space to physical space, posing severe challenges to cybersecurity. Therefore, it is imperative to build an active immune cybersecurity assurance system and construct secure and trusted intelligent storage systems to prevent and respond to such threats. Among these, building a trusted-architecture database serves as critical support for establishing a "new infrastructure security and trusted management and control system." Through end-to-end control and equal emphasis on technology and management, the security of China's homegrown information systems can be ensured, thereby safeguarding the healthy development of the country's digital economy.

Panel Discussion on China’s Database Development
Domestic Vector Database GBase Cloud Vector DB Grand Launch

Ding Mingfeng, Chairman of GBASE, delivered a keynote speech titled "China’s Database Development Strategy in the Context of De-globalization." Mr. Ding stated that since the new era, the marginal benefits of technological advancement have gradually declined, global economic growth has slowed, and attention to China's internal economic cycle has become mainstream. In the database field, the direction and path of technological development are becoming increasingly clear, shifting from a single architecture meeting various applications to multiple databases catering to different scenarios. GBASE took the lead in deploying commercial products that meet diverse application scenarios, aligned with the trend of technological evolution, and established a product iteration roadmap, giving rise to the "GBASE vector database."

Built on the industry-leading GBase 8a cluster, GBase Cloud Vector DB can be widely applied in various AI-driven application scenarios. Designed for large model key technologies and the ultimate digital world, it represents the latest trends and achievements in database technology. The launch of the vector database further enriches GBASE's full-stack database product portfolio.

At the summit, GBASE grandly launched the domestic vector database GBase Cloud Vector DB. The launch ceremony was jointly officiated by Chairman Ding Mingfeng of GBASE, Deputy District Mayor Chen Bo, Deputy Director Cui Tongxiang, Chief Economist Yang Dongmei, Committee Chair Li Zhanhuai, and Vice President Song Yu.

Li Zhanhuai, Chair of the Database Technical Committee of the China Computer Federation, delivered a keynote speech titled "Innovation Driven by Demand, Value Validated by Practice – The Development and Evolution of Database Technology." He reviewed and studied the development history and current status of database technologies both domestically and internationally. Database management systems arise from application demands and have continuously improved with expanding requirements and advancements in hardware. He stressed that only technologies and systems that demonstrate value through practice can survive and develop. Currently, the domestic database market is experiencing high R&D enthusiasm, rising technical capabilities, and an increasing talent pool, yet also faces challenges such as insufficient product stability, difficulties in smooth replacement, and incomplete ecosystems. Therefore, Chinese database practitioners must strive to enhance product performance and stability, rely on independent innovation for core engines, and build a diversified product system and industrial ecosystem to fundamentally achieve the prosperity of the database industry.

Li Wei, Deputy Director of the Software Department at the National Industrial Information Security Development Research Center, analyzed the development status and trends of the database industry in his keynote speech "Database Industry Development: Current Status and Trends." He stated that in recent years, domestic database technologies have advanced rapidly, the industrial ecosystem has continued to grow, and industry applications have deepened continuously. However, the database industry still faces problems such as insufficient independent R&D capabilities and scattered industrial resources, which urgently require collective efforts from all industry stakeholders. In the next step, the research center will focus on supporting top-level policy research, leveraging the database adaptation and verification center, to continuously conduct standards research, testing, and evaluation, build benchmarking models tailored for domestic databases, and facilitate the high-quality development of the domestic database industry.

Song Yu, Vice President of CCID Consulting Co., Ltd., delivered a keynote speech titled "Study on the Development of China's Foundational Software in a New Environment." Focusing on the current status and future trends of China's foundational software industry under the new economic environment, he analyzed in detail the new economic background and the new requirements for the foundational software industry from three dimensions: the new environment, the present outlook, and the future. He reviewed and expounded on the 2022 Chinese database market development in terms of market size, industry structure, investment and financing, and competitive landscape, and made future trend judgments around key points such as open source, sustained growth, product differentiation, and security.

Database Innovation Practice Discussion
Joining Hands with Users to Build World-Class Database Products

At the afternoon domestic database innovation practice seminar, speeches were delivered by Meng Yongming, Director of the Science & Technology and Product Administration Department at Agricultural Bank of China; Xu Ji, CTO of Nanjing Jishi Data Technology Co., Ltd.; Lyu Haifeng, Senior Engineer at Bank of China Co., Ltd.; Wang Xiaoyu, Database Kernel Architect at China Mobile Information Technology Co., Ltd.; Xiang Yang, Manager of the IT Application Innovation Department at Luzhou Bank Co., Ltd.; Xu Yongjun, Chief Expert in Meteorological Technology at the National Meteorological Information Center; and Zhang Yi, General Manager of the GBase 8c Product Business Unit at GBASE. They shared practical experiences in commercial deployment and transformation of databases in core scenarios, presenting hands-on insights and exchanging ideas among industry elites and experts. The session enabled participants to get closer to users, fit real-world scenarios, and appreciate how GBASE's full-scenario database solutions deeply empower industry innovation and development.

Stay the Course, Asking Not East or West

The journey becomes profound because of the hardships endured by the pioneers; the path ahead will be achieved through the courageous efforts of successors. Along the way, China's database industry has undergone earth-shaking changes. The rapid release of market demand is deeply driving the innovation and development of domestic databases. China possesses the world's largest volume of data, the richest array of scenarios, and the broadest market. The accelerating development of the digital economy is nurturing even more industrial opportunities and growth dividends, and more and more core systems will gradually embrace domestic databases. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The domestic database industry is always on the move, and the way to break through in the future lies on this very path. Stay the course, asking not east or west!