AI-led transformations constrained by the digital divide in Asia and the Pacific

Investment in the information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure plays a significant role for achieving all SDGs, in particular SDG 9. Enhanced and affordable access to ICT will benefit an expanding range of development interventions and public services, but the digital divide in Asia and the Pacific remains a major development challenge, restraining the potential for delivering transformative capabilities that the achievement of all SDGs requires.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was initially introduced in 2013 in order to enhance connectivity and collaboration among 60 countries and beyond in Asia, Africa and Europe. According to BRI, the Belt refers to Silk Road Economic Belt which is the land routes among these countries, whereas the Road refers to the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road which is the sea routes, rather than roads, aimed at marine transportation and communications from China’s east coast to other countries across the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Developing Asia will need to invest US$26tn from 2016 to 2030, or US$1.7tn per year, if the region is to maintain its growth momentum, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

China accounts for nearly half of the US$1.7tn total annual requirement but its infrastructure gap is much smaller than the Asian average after a quarter century of unprecedented investment.