Guangdong's core business scale of the AI industry is expected to exceed 50 billion yuan ($7.06 billion) by 2020, according to the Guangdong provincial science and technology authority.

"Based on an AI development plan, the AI industry will drive development of related businesses such as robotics and smart equipment to a scale of 300 billion yuan by 2020," said Yang Jun, deputy director-general of the Guangdong Science and Technology Department.

Guangdong, an economic powerhouse in South China, released an AI development plan in July 2018.

The scale of the core businesses of the AI industry in Guangdong reached 26 billion yuan in 2017, which took up about one-third of the national total, according to Yang.

To further help AI industry development, the Second China (Guangdong) AI International Summit is scheduled to open at Nansha district in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, from Oct 23 to 24.

With the theme of "AI & All", the summit will invite top-notch scientists and industrial leaders to deliver speeches, unveil influential technologies and products and announce major projects and cooperation in the industry.

Additionally, the summit will include launching ceremonies for an open platform for AI innovation and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area AI training center, established by the Guangzhou International AI Research Institute.

Nansha started fostering the AI industry in 2017, when the district opened various venues to the application of AI, such as hospitals, schools and roads.

The district has clustered more than 170 AI enterprises covering such fields as AI chip, algorithm and language recognition.