As competition intensifies among nations and cities to establish themselves as global hubs for artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced manufacturing, Shanghai has announced plans to deploy 8,000 humanoid robots in manufacturing sites by 2028.
The initiative aims to fundamentally transform production paradigms across various sectors, including automotive, semiconductor, and nuclear power.
According to Chinese media outlets, including Fengpai, Shanghai authorities unveiled the "Accelerated Action Plan for the Development of Next-Generation Smart Manufacturing" during the opening ceremony of the 26th China International Industry Fair at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) on October 12.
The action plan consists of four key projects and 19 priority tasks.
Specifically, Shanghai plans to foster 500 advanced smart factories, identify over 2,000 AI application scenarios in manufacturing, develop 10 industry-specific large language models (LLMs), and launch 300 high-level industrial AI agents by 2028.
To maximize automation in logistics and production lines, the city aims to increase the density of industrial robots to 600 per 10,000 people and deploy 8,000 humanoid robots on actual factory production lines. This initiative is expected to grow the new smart manufacturing equipment industry to 200 billion yuan (approximately $40 billion) and the integrated smart manufacturing system industry to 100 billion yuan (about $20 billion).
Expectations for the physical AI and robotics industry have also risen.
Wang Xingxing, chairman of Chinese robotics company Unitree, stated, "The critical point for the development of physical AI could arrive within 1 to 2 years," adding that the upcoming release of OpenAI's latest AI model, GPT-7, may directly break through the limitations of physical AI.
Meanwhile, the fair, which features over 3,200 participating companies, has introduced a dedicated exhibition hall for integrated circuits (semiconductors) for the first time, showcasing the entire Chinese semiconductor supply chain, including design, manufacturing, packaging, equipment, and materials.
While Taiwan's Economic Daily highlighted the trend of China's semiconductor industry seeking to establish an independent supply chain, it noted that the much-anticipated Chinese-made deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography equipment from Shanghai Microelectronics (SMEE) was not displayed at the event, and company representatives maintained a cautious stance.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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