Information technology is set to become one of five key industries in the central highlands by 2030, contributing about 10 per cent of gross regional domestic product (GRDP).

This is among the goals set out in the draft Central Highlands Digital Economic Development by the end of 2030 Project, which is being formulated and circulated for public comment by the Ministry of Information and Communications.

It also sets a goal that, by 2030, digital and postal infrastructure will be prioritized for investment, creating a new leap forward and a “lifeline” for the development of the digital economy and digital society in the region.

Da Lat in Lam Dong province and Buon Ma Thuot in Dak Lak province will become hubs for digital economic development.

The draft states that Da Lat will be a driving force for the innovation ecosystem in the central highlands and for the development of a regional data and computing infrastructure center to serve the needs of the region’s digital innovation and data industry.

Buon Ma Thuot, meanwhile, will be a center for digital transformation, piloting special mechanisms in data integration and the uniform, large-scale deployment of digital platforms such as big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, accelerating the digital economy in certain sectors and fields, particularly agriculture, forestry, natural resources and environment, tourism, beverages, and bauxite exploitation, among others.

The draft states that the central highlands is to become the first region to pilot a number of specific mechanisms and policies on models for linking sectors and fields, moving towards a comprehensive pilot of big data.