Report indicates global AI development hub shifting to Asia
Boao (ANTARA) - A report released by the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) on Tuesday (24/3) states that the global artificial intelligence (AI) development centre is progressively shifting from Europe and the United States (US) to Asia.
“Leveraging their large digital populations, diverse application ecosystems, and coherent policy frameworks, Asian economies are rapidly evolving from AI followers to frontrunners,” states the report titled “Annual Report on Asia’s Economic Prospects and Integration Progress 2026”.
Among the frontrunners, the report assesses that China has achieved full industrial chain maturity and demonstrates strong capabilities in large-scale applications, while Japan and South Korea focus their efforts on high-end manufacturing and industrial automation. Singapore, serving as a model for application-based advancement, plays a crucial role in governance innovation and acts as a hub platform.
The fundamental factors underpinning Asia’s “intelligent rise” are multifaceted, including essential institutional support at the national level, a strong feedback loop of “application scale, data generation, and iterative refinement” that accelerates industrialisation, as well as deep integration with core industries, the report reveals.
By exporting technological solutions and practical implementation experiences abroad, Asian economies are progressively evolving from passive rule-takers to proactive rule-makers and pathway providers, the report adds.
Furthermore, by leveraging the region’s complementary capabilities, the wealth of digital application scenarios, systematic progress in joint research, and policy coordination, Asia is uniquely positioned to pioneer the formation of a “multi-nodal, interconnected, and collaborative” regional AI innovation network, the report explains.
“Such a network will significantly strengthen the region’s collective influence across the global AI value chain, innovation ecosystem, and international governance discourse,” the report states.