How AI and Big Data Drive New Engineering Education: Insights from the 2019 IT Alliance Conference

On March 25, 2019, the second annual meeting of the 2019 Information Technology New Engineering Industry‑University‑Research Alliance was held in Beijing under the theme “New Engineering, New Opportunities, New Actions,” focusing on the progress of IT majors, industry‑led cooperation, and the deepening of new‑engineering construction.

Deputy Director Li Guanyu of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology emphasized that strengthening industry‑university integration is an urgent task for talent‑side structural reform. The alliance, jointly formed by universities, research institutes, and enterprises, has created an ecosystem that promotes deep collaboration and talent cultivation.

Expert Round‑Table Discussions

Two round‑table forums were organized, where renowned scholars such as Chen Zhong, Lu Wei, Gu Peihua, Zhao Dongyan, Wang Yuanzhuo, Sun Hongbin, Li Fengxia, Ji Yang, and Zhu Jianming examined AI, big data, curriculum design, talent training, and industry‑university cooperation. They shared frontier trends, practical experiences, and strategies for building new‑engineering programs.

Tencent’s Role and Achievements

During the event, Tencent received the 2018 Outstanding Contribution Enterprise award for New Engineering. The company has built an education cloud, video cloud, and AI‑driven infrastructure, launched platforms such as Tencent Classroom and Penguin Tutoring, and partnered with primary, secondary, and higher‑education institutions to advance campus digitalization.

Tencent Cloud also participates in the national “New Engineering” initiative by establishing certification exams, competition events, and an industry talent ecosystem. Its cloud certification program aligns with cloud‑computing job requirements, offering high‑recognition credentials that connect certified candidates with Tencent’s ecosystem of enterprises.

Future Outlook

Through ongoing cooperation with the alliance, Tencent Cloud will continue to promote the New Engineering plan, focusing on AI, big data, and cloud computing. By fostering interdisciplinary study, industry‑university integration, and talent pipelines, it aims to nurture the next generation of information‑technology engineers.