Every country is basically on the same level in terms of cloud computing, but government support is critical, said vice-president of Microsoft Greater China on Friday.

Zeng Liang made the remarks at an ongoing annual software and outsourcing conference in China's northeastern coastal city of Dalian, which has attracted industry heavyweights from around the world.

Zeng said that 90 percent of Microsoft's worldwide R&D team is engaged in work related to cloud computing.

His comments came after Apple's chief executive office (CEO) Steve Jobs said earlier this month that his company intends to demote the PC and Mac to "just devices" through cloud computing technology.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in April that cloud computing has been listed by the government as a key project in the country's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).

But investment in new technologies must be done cautiously and prudently, Dalian Software Park Ltd (DLSP) president Gao Wei told Xinhua on the sidelines of the conference, citing excessive investment in mainframe computers in the late 1970s.

Dalian has transformed itself into an outsourcing and offshoring base, mostly due to the establishment of the DLSP in 1998. The DLSP-run park has over 500 enterprises and combines production, education and research.

Liu Jichen, president and CEO of China's largest IT service provider Neusoft, also talked about cloud computing at the Dalian event.

"If any enterprise in the sectors of software and information services neglects new platforms like cloud computing, I think they will not have any opportunities for success in the future," he said.

Neusoft currently offers services to more than 3,000 hospitals and has set up a nationwide 'cloud' through which it pools medical resources," Liu said.

Cloud computing can help save energy, as it is an efficient way to manage data, said Wang Yang, IBM vice president and general manager of the China Development Center. Cloud computing makes it possible to "allocate computing capacity in accordance with demand," he said.