"Cloud Tibet", China's first Tibetan language search engine, is on course for release in August next year, the developer said on Tuesday.

Development team head Tselo said the basic architecture had been finished and significant core-technology developments had been achieved.

The search engine will help speed up IT, economic and social development in the Tibetan regions, Tselo said.

A 100-member team from a Tibetan language research center in Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province, northwest China, has been tasked with developing the search engine.

The project was launched in April 2013 with financial backing of 57 million yuan (9 million U.S. dollars).

The search engine will also feature news, pictures, video and audio, said Tselo.