China will accelerate the buildout of a nationwide computing network and step up efforts to develop high-quality data sets for artificial intelligence, according to a 2026 digital economy work plan released by the country's top data regulator on Tuesday.

The plan also called for the steady advancement of data infrastructure projects and support for demonstration facilities across industries and sectors.

China will also formulate policies to build an "open, shared and secure" national integrated data market, the plan said, underscoring growing efforts to break down data silos and improve cross-regional data circulation.

The work plan placed particular emphasis on strengthening the role of data in AI development, outlining six major initiatives focused on expanding foundational data resources, improving application support, enhancing efficiency and quality, strengthening management services, unlocking data value and advancing data labeling capabilities.

Notably, the regulator said the initiatives aimed to create a batch of benchmark high-quality data sets that meet "AI-readiness" standards, can effectively train advanced AI models and help solve practical industrial problems.