Measurement of the New Quality Productive Forces of Computing Power in Chinese Provincial Regions

Abstract

Computing power has become essential infrastructure for the digital economy and the digital transformation of industries. This study develops an evaluation index system for computing-power-related new quality productive forces from three dimensions: factor productivity, technological productivity, and industrial productivity. The CRITIC method is employed to determine the objective weights of the indicators, while the TOPSIS method is used to measure the development level of computing-power-related new quality productive forces across 31 provincial-level regions in China from 2021 to 2023. Global Moran’s I is further applied to examine their spatial correlation. The results indicate that the overall development level increased during the study period, although substantial disparities remained among provinces. Guangdong, Beijing, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Shandong were among the leading regions. Development across the three dimensions was unbalanced, with industrial productivity remaining relatively weak. In addition, provincial computing-power-related new quality productive forces exhibited significant positive spatial autocorrelation. Based on these findings, this study recommends optimizing the spatial layout of computing infrastructure, strengthening technological innovation and data utilization, promoting the industrial application of computing resources, and enhancing interregional cooperation.