Tianjin - The 2024 World Intelligence Expo, a four-day event, commenced in Tianjin on Thursday. It aims to establish a new platform for leading the development of intelligent technology and fostering new quality productive forces.

Inside the venue of the 2024 World Intelligence Expo. (Photo/Chen Yingzhu)

At the expo's opening ceremony, Shan Zhongde, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, highlighted that China has cultivated 421 national-level intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories and over 10,000 provincial-level digital workshops and smart factories, promoting high-end, intelligent, and green development in manufacturing.

The opening ceremony of the 2024 World Intelligence Expo. (Photo/Li Ran)

Shan highlighted that China hosts over 4,500 AI companies, ranking second globally in computing power scale. Moreover, China has established 408 national standards for intelligent manufacturing, creating a supportive ecosystem for the industry's growth.

Liu Qingfeng, Chairman of iFlytek Co., Ltd., said that in the past year, large models have greatly advanced, revolutionizing information dissemination and content production and potentially reshaping many industry structures and competitive dynamics.

"Some forecasts suggest that general AI will drive a 7% increase in global GDP over the next decade," said Liu.

He added that improving efficiency has become central to Xinghuo's usage, with peak activity around 9:30 a.m., showing its popularity in workplaces. He also mentioned that large models are boosting a robust developer community. For example, iFlytek's open platform provides 707 AI capabilities and has 97,000 developers in Tianjin alone.

The diverse multimodal large models rely fundamentally on a general model foundation. "Today, China needs to establish a self-controllable general model foundation. With this self-controllable foundation, Xinghuo leads internationally in specialized systems," Liu said.

"Notably, efficiency improvement has become the core scenario for Xinghuo. For example, the peak usage of the Xinghuo App occurs around 9:30 AM, indicating its widespread use in the workplace," Liu said. "Additionally, large models are fostering a thriving developer ecosystem. iFlytek's open platform offers 707 AI capabilities, with 97,000 developers in Tianjin alone."

The expo features 33 Fortune 500 companies, 67 of China’s top 500 firms, and over 20 foreign enterprises, including Tesla, General Electric, Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, 360, Seres, and Zongshen.

Over 30 Chongqing companies, including Changan Automobile and Southwest Aluminum, showcase intelligent achievements in NEVs, electronic information manufacturing, advanced materials, software services, and tech innovation.

The expo, which spans 100,000 square meters, includes ten themed zones, such as AI, intelligent connected vehicles, and intelligent manufacturing. Over 500 enterprises and institutions are participating, and 103 key projects have been signed, totaling about 109.2 billion yuan in investment.

Themed "Intelligence: Extensive Development Space, Sustainable Growth Driver," the expo is co-hosted by the Tianjin and Chongqing Municipal Governments, marking their first joint appearance in the global intelligence industry.

Tianjin and Chongqing are key regions in China's intelligent industry development. Chongqing, for example, has been the world's largest laptop production base for ten consecutive years, producing one in every three laptops globally.

Intelligent aircraft for urban transportation and cargo delivery. (Photo/Chen Yingzhu)