Over recent years, Shandong's pace of integrating the digital economy and the real economy has been picking up thanks to a large real economy, a diverse range of application scenarios, and other comparative advantages. Now more and more traditional manufacturing enterprises in the province have benefited from data in expanding production capacity.

To promote "industrial brain" development, Shandong has adopted a case-by-case approach for key industries, encouraging cities and counties to focus on their respective characteristic industrial chain clusters and adhere to the principle of serving the whole province and even the whole country at large. For the interests of the great majority, Shandong has selected seven industries and 25 sub-industries from the industries covered by its 11 representative industrial chains, characteristic industrial clusters, and strategic emerging industrial clusters for the first "industrial brain" list. Key industrial chains such as new-generation information technology, high-end equipment and textile and garment, and producer service industries such as transportation are all on the list.

Moreover, Shandong will select about 15 "industrial brains" for demonstration and piloting this year and strive to cultivate about 50 "industrial brains" in the province in three years or so. By promoting the "industrial brain" development in key industries, Shandong aims to form a "brain" for its industrial economy.