(ECNS) - China's digital industry revenue rose 12.9% year on year to 9.5 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) in the first quarter, while profits increased 23.6% to 737.8 billion yuan, according to official data released Thursday.

Profit growth accelerated mainly due to gains in the electronic information manufacturing sector, where profits more than doubled from a year earlier.

China has been expanding digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence development to support economic growth and industrial upgrading.

By the end of March, China had built 4.96 million 5G base stations nationwide, while 5G-Advanced network coverage had expanded to 330 cities.

Guangdong, Jiangsu, Beijing, Shanghai and Zhejiang accounted for nearly 83% of total digital industry revenue. At the same time, central regions recorded faster growth, with revenue rising 21.4% year on year.

Software industry revenue rose 11.7% in the quarter, while internet-related services revenue increased 10.6%.

(By Zhang Jiahao)