More than 300 new products showcasing China's AI technology will be unveiled for the first time at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, starting July 17. Among the highlights is Huawei's massive AI computing system, the Atlas 950, alongside next-generation AI semiconductors and AI agent smartphones. This event comes amid U.S. export restrictions on advanced semiconductors to China.
According to the China Securities Journal on July 7, this year's WAIC will be held under the theme 'Smart Partners, Creating the Future Together' from July 17 to 20. Launched in 2018, WAIC is the largest national AI event in China, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Shanghai municipal government.
This year's conference will cover over 100,000 square meters, featuring approximately 1,100 companies, making it the largest WAIC to date. More than 3,000 products will be exhibited, with around 300 making their global debut.
The most anticipated product is Huawei's Atlas 950, a supercomputer-level AI computing system that connects over 8,000 AI chips to operate as a single computer. It is designed for large-scale computations necessary for training and inference of massive AI models. The prototype will be showcased for the first time at WAIC, following its initial introduction at the Mobile World Congress in March.
Other notable products include the latest AI model 'M3' from Chinese AI company Minimax, the AI agent operating system from StepFun, the world's first AI agent smartphone, next-generation 3D near-memory computing chips, and various advanced humanoid robots and AI robotic hands.
The academic component of the conference has also been strengthened. This year, nine leading scholars, including Turing Award winners and Nobel laureates, will participate in a high-level WAIC academic meeting for the first time. Notable speakers include Yoshua Bengio, a global authority in deep learning, Richard Sutton, known as the 'father of reinforcement learning,' and Omar Yaghi, the 2025 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry.
The Chinese government aims to use this event to expand international cooperation centered on its AI initiatives and to solidify its leadership in global AI governance. This year, the National Development and Reform Commission plans to release a casebook titled 'China's AI, Benefiting the World' and an 'AI Cooperation Development Action Plan' targeting over 20 countries. The action plan will focus on expanding international collaboration in areas such as AI computing infrastructure, open-source ecosystems, and AI safety governance.
Last year, WAIC introduced an 'AI Global Governance Action Plan' aimed at reducing technological barriers and announced plans to establish a 'Global AI Cooperation Organization' in Shanghai.
Wang Luomeng, Deputy Director of the Innovation and High-Tech Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, stated during a briefing for the 2026 WAIC that 'last year, the scale of China's AI-related industry exceeded 1 trillion yuan, and it is projected to grow by over 30% this year.' He emphasized the need to enhance communication and exchange in technology innovation, industrial applications, and safety governance, seeking to transform a beautiful vision into practical actions through collaboration.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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