Cloud Computing In China: Implications Of A Complex Environment

Background

In the past decade, physical servers and computer hardware have struggled to keep up with the astronomical amount of data that companies and individuals have created. Cloud computing has been introduced as a solution to harness large amounts of information for public and private access through flexible online "cloud" services.

The Chinese government has also taken note of the impact cloud computing is set to have on the world and plans to invest approximately RMB ¥1.1 trillion in cloud initiatives in the future. Despite the promise cloud computing technology has shown in the Chinese market, foreign investment restrictions, censorship, privacy protection, and jurisdictional issues – legal issues central to the successful delivery of cloud services – remain ambiguous.