Over 1,200 global innovators gathered in Shanghai this weekend for the 2025 World AI Conference, where a sprawling 70,000-square-meter exhibition space showcased humanity's next technological leap. Under the theme 'Global Solidarity in the AI Era,' the event marks its eighth consecutive year in China's financial hub, now emerging as a $16.5 billion AI powerhouse.
A Stage for Global Innovation
This year's record-breaking conference features 800 companies displaying 3,000+ cutting-edge products, from humanoid robots to industry-specific AI solutions. Over 100 world premieres will debut during the three-day program, while forums tackle critical questions about ethics, governance, and cross-border collaboration.
Shanghai's AI Ascent
New municipal data reveals explosive growth: Q1 2025 saw Shanghai's AI sector surge 29% year-on-year, with profits jumping 65%. The city now aims to exceed 100 EFlops computing capacity by December – equivalent to 100 quintillion operations per second – through strategic investments in intelligent infrastructure.
Building the Future Ecosystem
Conference organizers outlined five strategic pillars positioning Shanghai as an AI leader:
Developing industrial clusters combining computing power, language data, and foundational models
Creating 50+ demonstration bases across healthcare, finance, and manufacturing
Accelerating commercialization of embodied intelligence
Establishing talent pipelines through specialized institutes
Pioneering global governance frameworks
As robots demonstrated cocktail-mixing skills and AI models debated ethical protocols, one message rang clear: Shanghai's blueprint for intelligent transformation is reshaping both regional economies and global tech trajectories.
