AI conference set to reach record scale in Shanghai

The upcoming World Artificial Intelligence Conference, one of the world's most influential AI events, will reach a record scale this year in its exhibition area, and is expected to attract over 1,100 companies, display more than 3,000 exhibits, and feature more than 300 global product debuts, according to a news conference held on Tuesday in Shanghai.

Shanghai has successfully hosted the conference for eight consecutive years, with the event becoming an important platform for showcasing cutting-edge AI technologies from China and around the world, while also deepening international cooperation, Chen Jie, vice-mayor of Shanghai, said at the news conference.

"For the first time since its inception, the conference's exhibition scale exceeds 100,000 square meters. The intelligent computing and embodied AI segments will each bring together more than 200 companies. Leading companies, major State-owned enterprises and top multinational companies will join their ecosystem partners to showcase the latest AI-enabled applications across industries," said Chen.

He added that such an expansion in the scale and capacity of the conference is based on the city's thriving AI industry.

Shanghai's 394 AI enterprises above the designated size threshold saw their combined industry scale exceed 637 billion yuan ($93.75 billion) throughout 2025, up 39.5 percent year-on-year, emerging as a new driver of the city's economic growth, according to Chen.

Shanghai has built a complete ecosystem for AI development, integrating innovation, application, cooperation, ecological coordination and security governance, he added.

The city's booming AI industry reflects the sector's continued growth and development.

"The value of China's core AI industry is estimated to have surpassed 1.2 trillion yuan in scale by the end of 2025. At the same time, rapid advances in large models, AI agents and AI chips are expected to drive annual humanoid robot production above 100,000 units this year," said Gan Xiaobin, deputy director of the department of science and technology under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. According to Gan, the constantly deepening integration of AI and manufacturing is enabling Chinese industrial enterprises above the designated size to raise their adoption rate of AI to more than 30 percent.

Wang Ruomeng, an official of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that the Chinese AI industry is estimated to grow at a rate of more than 30 percent this year, and the integration of AI into various sectors has become a driving force for the nation's economy.

"Since the guideline on AI integration development was issued by the State Council last August, the NDRC has worked together with relevant parties to promote AI to empower various industries and benefit Chinese people in their daily life," said Wang.

Sun Xiaobo, an official with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the theme of this year's conference,"AI Partnership for a Brighter Future", has two key messages.

"The word partnership shows that AI is empowering all kinds of industries and families, becoming an important assistant in our work and daily lives. In the meantime, global AI governance requires countries to work together to build global partnerships in AI and jointly promote the beneficial and inclusive development of artificial intelligence," said Sun.

Speaking on the sidelines of the news conference, Wei Shaojun, chairman and CEO of Chinese AI chip startup Dongfang Suanxin, said the company, which will attend the AI conference for the first time, will showcase its full product lineup, from chips to systems. Founded in 2024, Shanghai-based Dongfang Suanxin specializes in integrated circuit design. "Our current chips focus on the training level, while the next-generation products are expected to come out by the end of this year, with performance expected to match the level of mainstream international peers," said Wei.

Set to take place in Shanghai from July 17 to 20, the 2026 WAIC will feature six major sections, including forums, exhibitions, innovation incubation and talent exchanges.