BEIJING, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – In the initial half of 2026, China’s digital industry generated a total revenue of 20.71 trillion yuan, marking a 13.6% increase compared to the same period the previous year. The sector’s net profit reached 1.79 trillion yuan, which is a 19.3% rise. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reported that the growth rate of revenue accelerated by 4.1 percentage points from the same period last year. The profit margin for the industry was 8.6%, up by 0.7 percentage points.
The main digital industry hubs in China contributed the majority of the national total. The top 10 provincial-level markets collectively generated 17.21 trillion yuan in revenue, showing a 13.2% increase. These markets accounted for 83.1% of the country’s digital industry revenue and drove 87% of the overall revenue growth. Among these key markets were Guangdong, Jiangsu, Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang. Central China’s digital industry revenue reached 2.86 trillion yuan, an increase of 28.3% from the previous year.
Meanwhile, digital infrastructure expanded significantly in the first half of 2026. As of June, China had 5.102 million 5G base stations. The country also boasted 32.86 million 10G PON ports capable of supporting gigabit network services. The number of 5G RedCap base stations had risen to 2.247 million. High-performance computing capacity increased to 2,185 EFLOPS using FP16 measurement, representing a 177% growth year-over-year. Overall utilization of computing facilities reached 71.4%.
Expansion of Digital Infrastructure Across China
China had established 52 intelligent computing facilities equipped with over 10,000 accelerator cards by the end of June. More than 80,000 private 5G industry networks were operational nationwide. Applications leveraging 5G and gigabit optical networks covered 94 key sectors of the national economy. Additionally, China had over 26,000 active projects related to 5G and industrial internet. Authorities also reported the creation of 1,260 classified 5G factories across the country.
Digital manufacturing experienced faster growth in both production and earnings during the first half of the year. The added value output in electronics increased by 14.8% compared to the previous year. Revenue from major electronic information manufacturers reached 12.15 trillion yuan, which is a 17.8% rise. Their combined profit surged by 66%, totaling 703.6 billion yuan. The growth was driven strongly by sectors like integrated circuits, computer manufacturing, and specialized electronic materials. Electronics output growth outpaced overall industrial growth by 9.4 percentage points.
Software and IT Services Continue to Grow Steadily
During the first six months of 2026, China’s digital services industry also saw continued expansion. The total volume of telecommunications business increased by 8.3% at constant prices compared to the previous year. Revenue from software and information technology services rose by 9.5%. Software product sales grew by 6.9%, and IT service revenue advanced by 10.4%. Major internet corporations reported a 10.1% growth in revenue and a 16.6% increase in total profit compared to the same period in 2025.
These figures reflect the ongoing dominance of technology-related services, which 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 value added in information transmission, software, and information technology services grew by 10.7%. The digital industry in China encompasses electronic information manufacturing, telecommunications, software and IT services, and internet-related services. These sectors are integral parts of the country’s broader digital economy.