AsiaInfo Group expects to see revenue generated from its big data business increase by 30 percent year-on-year in 2016, its chairman Edward Tian said.

Tian said the Beijing-headquartered multinational company, one of the biggest software developers in China, had reaped a bumper harvest only two years after it entered the big data sector and its new unit was now experiencing the fastest growth rate among all its business arms.

He said the push into big data was part of efforts by AsiaInfo to blaze a new trail in innovation, from being a traditional software provider.

Tian made his comments during the ongoing Third World Internet Conference, where global internet think tanks are focusing on innovation.

The chairman said that using big data technology, AsiaInfo helped Xianyang - a city in northwestern China's Shaanxi province with a population of 4.97 million - save more than 150 million yuan ($22 million) in government spending on medical insurance last year.

AsiaInfo says the technology enables organizations to prevent cheating related to excessive medical bills and overspending on medical insurance, which affects local governments.

The technology is also being applied to improve poverty relief in a new round of campaign initiated by the Chinese government to help the needy at a grassroots level, he said.

Tian also said that the software industry, born more than 40 years ago, would soon lose its edge if no transformation was made amid the exponential growth of cloud computing, artificial intelligence and internet of things - the three major trendsetters of the current internet era.

AsiaInfo has set sights on reshaping itself from being a traditional software deliverer to a full supporter of the revolution in telecommunications.

"We envision helping telecom operators to become 'digital retailers', benefiting from cloud computing's new stream and emerging software rental services," Tian said.

Echoing Tian, Feng Cheng, a researcher on global telecommunication operators in the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology, said operators would soon feel the pressure to sustain their revenues during the digital revolution if no partnerships are built with software developers and chip makers.

Their competitive edge would soon wane during industrial convergence, she said.

AsiaInfo's Tian said that software companies are being urged to drive telecom operators to evolve quickly from being current voice and communication service providers, amid the dynamic popularity of WeChat, a social communication tool that is gradually undermining profits from smartphones in China.

Last year AsiaInfo acquired Trend Micro (China), the Chinese subsidiary of a global security software company, in a move that consolidated AsiaInfo's position in the sector.

The company said that last year it helped users save a combined 5 billion yuan in online anti-fraud actions.

AsiaInfo said it is planning to forge industry alliances with more big data counterparts, amid cutthroat competition. It is also seeking more opportunities in the internet of things.

"We are banking on a future of 'chips', which will soon be installed in every electronic device, just as they are now in smartphones," Tian said.

yangcheng@chinadaily.com.cn