IBM cloud to push Dongying's shift to services city

China's Dongying city plans to use IT services including cloud computing to shift from manufacturing to a services economy to push its growth. To that end it has signed a strategic initiative with IBM to use cloud computing to "jumpstart new economic development in the region."

Dongying is located in the central area of the Yellow River Delta and boasts rich oil and ecological resources and is home to China's second largest oil field. As such, Dongying's petroleum industry supply chain is expanding rapidly.

Traditionally known for manufacturing and oil, Dongying will use IBM cloud technology to build a common platform to promote e-government, and support the city's transition from an industrial to services-based economy.

By building The Yellow River Delta Cloud Computing Centre, Dongying aims to help its petroleum industry develop more innovative application services, while also becoming a sustainable eco-city and maximizing public benefit.

IBM is helping the Dongying government build a cloud that will provide software development and test resources for software startup companies via the web through a self-service user interface.

In addition, this cloud will be expanded to also be an e-government services platform for the Dongying economic development zone as well as a Research and Development platform for eco-friendly oil cultivation.