Guests visit an exhibition during the 2026 China Smart Energy Conference in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, July 9, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]
CHENGDU — As artificial intelligence and other digital technologies usher the global energy sector into a new era, China's rapid advances in smart energy are creating new opportunities for international cooperation.
These prospects took center stage at the 2026 China Smart Energy Conference, which recently concluded in Chengdu, Sichuan province, where policymakers, researchers and industry representatives from around the world gathered to discuss new pathways for energy cooperation in the digital era.
China's smart energy industry has moved beyond pilot projects into large-scale commercial deployment, said conference attendee Shi Yubo, chairman of the China Energy Research Society.
AI is already being applied to areas such as renewable power forecasting, while digital technologies are reshaping every stage of the energy value chain, from production and transmission to consumption, Shi added.
