Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were defined as what shall be achieved by the United Nations members until 2030. This thesis focuses on how a local business from Switzerland can create a global impact when adapting a solution to China. The research highlights the significant impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on economic development and its potential to support China’s progress towards achieving SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation. The study addresses the pressing issue of water quality in China, where access to drinkable tap water is scarce due to water pollution and inadequate water source management, particularly in rural areas and larger cities.

The thesis proposes that Swiss companies can assist Chinese companies in developing technical solutions to improve water management and drinking water quality, thereby contributing to local business growth and global impact. To address this problem, the design science research (DSR) methodology was applied, and within different phases, literature was consulted, interviews and surveys were conducted, and an artefact (artificial database matching model) was developed. The applied research instruments were used to answer the derived research questions.

The artefact relies on the Chinese five-year plan, literature, company knowledge, government projects in provinces, SDG, etc. This information can be combined, and an affected company looking for a solution will be matched with a company that provides answers. Artificial intelligence technology helps to align the different information and knowledge. The created matching code was built as a prototype and executed on a local website. Future research can evaluate better AI techniques, web scraping, and SDG impact calculations and improve the developed artefact further.