The National Development and Reform Commission Clarifies the Position of Blockchain: Analysis of the Three Major Directions of New Infrastructure

Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission held an online press conference, where Wu Hao, Director of the Department of Innovation and High Technology Development, responded to public concerns regarding the construction of new infrastructure.

Wu Hao stated that the new infrastructure mainly covers three aspects:

First is the information infrastructure. This mainly refers to the infrastructure developed based on the new generation of information technology, including communication network infrastructure represented by 5G, the Internet of Things, industrial Internet, and satellite Internet, new technology infrastructure represented by artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and blockchain, as well as computing power infrastructure represented by data centers and intelligent computing centers.

Secondly, it is the integration of infrastructure. This refers to the deep application of technologies such as the Internet, big data, and artificial intelligence, supporting the transformation and upgrading of traditional infrastructure, thereby forming new types of infrastructure, such as smart transportation infrastructure and smart energy infrastructure.

The third is innovative infrastructure. This mainly refers to those public-interest infrastructures that support scientific research, technology development, and product development, such as major scientific and technological infrastructures, educational and scientific infrastructures, and industrial technological innovation infrastructures.

It is worth noting that the Central Economic Work Conference held at the end of 2018 redefined the scope of infrastructure construction for the first time, incorporating emerging technology fields such as 5G, artificial intelligence, industrial internet, and the internet of things into the category of "new infrastructure construction." The statement from the National Development and Reform Commission further clarifies the important position of blockchain technology in new infrastructure construction.

This initiative reflects the country's high regard for emerging technologies and also points the way for the development of related industries. With the advancement of new infrastructure construction, we can foresee that these emerging technologies will play an increasingly important role in the future economic and social development.