The signing ceremony for the big data health and artificial intelligence applications platform. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

The Liangjiang New Area – located in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality – on May 15 signed an agreement with the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health and Guangzhou Tianpeng Technology Co to jointly construct a big data health and artificial intelligence applications platform, according to area officials.

Under the agreement, signed via video link, the project will establish a big data health AI intelligence institute.

Officials said that with Zhong Nanshan -- China's top respiratory expert and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering -- to be its honorary director, the institute is expected to be a demonstration project with international influence.

They said the institute will cooperate with top experts to build a respiratory medicine big data online platform covering major medical institutions in the area.

It will also promote innovative AI applications in clinical medical treatment, clinical scientific research, anti-epidemic work and public emergency and health services with Chongqing.

There are also plans to build a medical big data lab, introduce top domestic and international professionals and develop some cooperation projects.

One of the project's partners -- Tianpeng Technology -- is a national high-tech company focusing on medical big data analysis, cloud platform management and providing medical intelligent data applications services.

To date, Liangjiang has developed a biopharmaceutical industrial cluster covering an area of about 333 hectares, where over 2,000 companies have settled. They are involved in innovative drugs R&D, high-end preparations production, high-end medical equipment and consumable materials production, high-end medical service institutions and pharmaceuticals sales.