Nanjing Builds China's Technology Innovation Platform And Metaverse Application

Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province in China, inaugurated China's Technology Innovation Platform and Metaverse Application. (photo: dock. Pixabay)

JAKARTA - On May 22, Nanjing, the capital of China's Jiangsu province, inaugurated China's Metaverse Technological Innovation Platform to encourage and develop metaverse research and development across the country.

This newly formed entity is supported by the state and led by the Nanjing University of Science and Information Technology (NUIST). As announced through the official NUIST social media account, the platform consists of founding members representing various academic institutions and metaverse-related companies across mainland China.

The purpose of this platform is to combine the resources of academic institutions and companies in bamboo curtain countries, strengthening research efforts in the metaverse-related fields. The Metaverse refers to a virtual universe or a collective virtual space that includes all virtual worlds, the richest reality experiences, and virtual reality. It is a connected digital world where users can interact with each other and with a computer-generated environment in real-time.

Nanjing and other cities in China are competing to take an important position in the development of the metaverse in the country. In February 2023, the city revealed its metaverse strategy with the aim of creating a rapidly growing industry with annual revenues exceeding 135 billion yuan (Rp285 trillion) by the end of 2025.

The city of Shanghai is also actively pursuing its metaverse aspirations and predicts that the city's metaverse industry will achieve annual revenue of 350 billion yuan (Rp738.6 trillion) by 2025.

Shanghai recently presented a collection of 20 cases of early metaverse use, covering various fields such as virtual health diagnosis and digital recreation of city historical architecture landmarks.

Although China is implementing strict regulations against cryptocurrencies and nonfungible tokens (NFT), the country recognizes the transformational power of Web3 technology, including the metaverse, in driving its digital economy.

In a recent local media report, Wu Zhong-ze, former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, highlighted the importance of expanding the use of the metaverse in various sectors, including education, trade, health, and entertainment. He also stressed the need to form industry standards for the metaverse.