Representatives from over 20 British big data companies and research institutes conducted in-depth discussions with their Chinese counterparts on May 27 in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province.

"UK Day: UK-China Big Data Collaboration 2017" is held on May 27 in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2017 China International Big Data Expo, held in Guiyang from May 25 to 28, attracted big data companies from around the world.

"It's my second time here and I'm happy to see so many great UK enterprises in Guiyang," said Andrew Cockburn, head of the trade and technology team at the UK's Department of International Trade.

Held at the Guiyang International Eco-Conference Center, the event is aimed at connecting big data companies in China and the UK.

Many innovative ideas and technological achievements were discussed at the conference, building a bridge for further cooperation.

Benedikt von Thüngen, CEO of Speechmatics, a start-up company focused on automatic speech recognition technology, introduced the latest product from his company.

As a technical expert with abundant experience in start-up firms, von Thüngen said it was a great opportunity for young people to set up their own businesses utilizing big data.

Benedikt von Thüngen, CEO of Speechmatics, introduces his company's latest product. [Photo by Jiang Xingguang/chinadaily.com.cn]

"It is a very exciting time to be involved with big data and machine learning and my advice to new companies would be to go for it," said von Thüngen.

"There is so much data available on the internet, so many excellent machine learning tools and excellent online tutorials to get started. So, if you are not scared, just do it," he added.

As for Jaya Skandamoorthy, president of BRE China, the collaboration opportunities lie in the green building sector.

"I think big data is a huge opportunity to support green building, sustainable development and the urbanization of China," said Skandamoorthy.

Skandamoorthy claimed that the green building sector is maturing in China, and to take the next step forward, people should use that knowledge to utilize data in a different way.

"That's a big change that will happen globally but especially in China because it's moving so fast," he added.

In terms of big data, the UK boasts first-class research institutes and a sound environment for creative collaboration, said Andrew Cockburn.

Big data companies in the UK have achieved good results in various sectors, including smart cities, health care and finance. The UK is willing to boost cooperation in the big data sector with China to add value and benefits, according to Cockburn.