Seventeen groundbreaking projects from 34 countries and regions claimed top honors at the World Internet Conference (WIC) 2025 Awards for Pioneering Science and Technology, unveiled Thursday in Zhejiang Province's historic Wuzhen water town. The ceremony spotlighted advancements shaping humanity's digital future – from Alibaba's open-source Qwen language model to China's precision BDS-3 satellite navigation system.
Microsoft's AI-powered GitHub Copilot coding assistant and Baidu's hyper-realistic digital humans joined quantum computing breakthroughs and intelligent IoT solutions among the winners. Over 400 submissions competed for recognition at this year's event, now in its third year as a barometer of global tech progress.
"Innovation drives the engine of social transformation," declared Wu Hequan, Chinese Academy of Engineering academician and awards committee chair, during the ceremony. He emphasized the WIC's role in creating "an open, inclusive digital-intelligent world" through international collaboration.
The awards precede Friday's opening of the 2025 Wuzhen Summit, where 3,000+ delegates will debate internet governance and emerging technologies. Since its 2023 inception, the WIC initiative has become a critical platform for aligning global tech development with shared human values.
