Chinese company forms grand alliance to give B&R markets tech boost

Inspur Group Co Ltd, China's biggest server maker, formed an alliance with global tech giants and Chinese financial institutions on Thursday to provide IT solutions to economies participating in the Belt and Road, or B&R, Initiative.

This is the first alliance initiated by enterprises to serve countries and regions involved in the B&R Initiative, according to Inspur.

Tech players IBM and Cisco Systems Inc, financial and retail services provider Diebold Nixdorf, and telecoms major Ericsson AB are part of the alliance.

Together with Inspur, they will offer solutions for cloud data centers, financial services, taxation, smart cities and other projects.

"The Belt and Road Initiative is not only about connecting ports, railways and highways, but also about freeing up the flow of information and data and enhancing digital links among those countries and regions," said Sun Pishu, chairman and CEO of Inspur.

National banks and insurance companies including the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China and China Export & Credit Insurance Corp will provide financial support for relevant projects.

"Our alliance is meant to solve both technical bottlenecks and capital shortages that are limiting the development of economies related to the Belt and Road Initiative, especially in their efforts to accelerate informatization," Sun said, without disclosing specific investment plans.

The move is in line with China's broad plan to promote innovation.

The country is making significant progress in the IT sector, with breakthroughs already made in both hardware and software.

Wang Endong, chief scientist of Inspur, said: "After years of development, China has leapt from a follower to a leader in innovation in server-related technologies. China outpaced other countries in server patent applications, which will offer a strong momentum to growth."

Inspur said earlier it aims to double its overseas revenue from 20 percent of total revenue in 2016 to 40 percent by 2020.

As of now, the Shandong-based company's IT products are available in 113 countries and regions.

Its sales footprint covers half of the economies related to the B&R Initiative, including Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

In Saudi Arabia, Inspur has provided its high-tech products and solutions to sectors and industries such as agriculture, healthcare, aerospace and new vehicle materials.

"Different from other cooperations, the alliance will bring China's high-tech prowess to countries like Nigeria, one of most populous countries of Africa, which will meet our urgent need for solving mounting security problems and promoting intelligent education," said Amb Kabiru Rabiu, a representative of the government of Kano, which is an important province in Nigeria.