Visitors try their hand at novel devices at the SMC Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center during a WAIC City Walk. CHINA DAILY
As the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) outline calls for seizing the commanding heights of industrial artificial intelligence applications and delivering comprehensive empowerment to all sectors of the economy, the nationwide AI-driven industrial transformation is well underway.
Shanghai, the host city of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, has consistently stood at the forefront of this evolution. For example, AI injects vitality into traditional manufacturing alongside 100-meter blast furnaces; robots work alongside scientists as their partners in laboratories; and large AI models shorten the research cycle for new medicines on research platforms.
The city's industrial transformation road map has become increasingly tangible, outlining its transition from "made in Shanghai" to "intelligently made in Shanghai".
Benefiting from the integrated development initiative of the Yangtze River Delta, a top-tier regional development strategy in the country, Shanghai's AI industry has been experiencing rapid growth. It is shaping a collaborative division of labor characterized by "R&D in Shanghai, manufacturing in nearby areas, and application across the Yangtze River Delta".
