Securing Data with Homegrown Crypto: GBASE’s Vision for Digital China

From October 26 to 28, 2023, the 20th China National Computer Congress (CNCC2023) was held in Shenyang. China’s domestically developed database leader GBASE, together with Tianjin University and Renmin University of China, won the 2023 CCF Technology Progress Award (Second Class) for their joint project on “Distributed Knowledge Graph Data Management Key Technologies and Systems.”

Themed “Developing Digital Infrastructure to Support Digital China Construction,” the congress attracted over 800 experts and scholars and more than 13,000 on‑site attendees.

Award‑Winning Project: Breaking Through Knowledge Graph Data Management

The project addressed key challenges in database management systems, breaking through unified modeling and distributed management of knowledge graph data. The developed system supports efficient management of knowledge graphs with over 300 million vertices and 1 billion edges. The technology has been applied in the domestic GBase UP database and achieved large‑scale market adoption in finance, government, and other key sectors, delivering significant economic and social benefits.

Keynote: Securing Data with Homegrown Cryptographic Technology

At the forum “How Can Commercial Cryptography Safeguard the Digital China Strategy?” Zhao Wei, Senior Vice President of GBASE, delivered a speech on innovative practices in using domestic cryptographic technology to secure data flow and advance Digital China.

Zhao noted that in the digital economy era, data has dual attributes as both a resource and an asset. Ensuring data security involves three levels: supply chain security of infrastructure, security of data as assets, and security of data as resources — all of which involve commercial cryptography applications. Only by building an independently controlled domestic foundational hardware and software system can data security be ensured. Key approaches include: using domestic cryptographic cards and secure authentication gateways for supply chain security; using encryption, access control, and secure transmission protocols for data asset security; and using blockchain and multi‑party computation for data resource security — building a trusted defense line.

The Road Ahead

Going forward, GBASE will continue to focus on independent R&D and innovation in core database technologies, leveraging platforms like CCF and CNCC to work with industry, academia, and research partners to build a new independently controlled IT ecosystem, contributing to Xinchuang promotion and Digital China construction.