SHANGHAI: Shanghai aims to accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and manufacturing in the coming years, a move expected to boost new industrialisation, strengthen new quality productive forces, and position China as a global leader in intelligent manufacturing, experts say.

An implementation plan to accelerate the development of “AI+Manufacturing” was announced on Tuesday by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatisation, along with the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission and Shanghai’s municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

The plan calls for deeper integration of AI with the manufacturing sector, boosting new industrialisation and fostering new quality productive forces.

The plan also outlines specific targets, including enabling 3,000 manufacturing enterprises to adopt smart applications, developing 10 industry benchmark models and 100 flagship intelligent products and promoting 100 demonstration application scenarios.

Xie Haiqin, deputy general manager of industrial Internet platform CosmoPlat, outlined three new prospects in the action plan.

“First is the opportunity to build new factories. For companies planning new facilities, the implementation plan promotes ‘AI+Manufacturing’ factories, allowing firms to integrate advanced technologies to create smarter, more efficient plants and achieve a leap in production models.

“Second is the potential for product intelligence upgrades and end-to-end empowerment. Companies integrating AI into daily operations can develop ‘AI+’ industrial software, products, and equipment to enhance product intelligence and functionality.

“Third is the chance for coordinated industrial ecosystem development. For our company, this means providing digital twin and intelligent agent tools to support the rollout of 10 industry benchmark models and 100 demonstration scenarios.”

COSMOPlat is the industrial internet platform of Chinese home appliance company Haier Group.

Shanghai’s plan calls for the establishment of about 10 AI+Manufacturing demonstration factories, development of around five integrated service providers, and cultivation of a group of competitive specialided service firms, in a bid to forge a comprehensive ecosystem for intelligent manufacturing.

Jia Wei, associate director for academic affairs at the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, said the city, as a national hub for scientific research, enjoys advantages in both artificial intelligence and manufacturing.

“The city holds a leading position in sectors such as aviation, aerospace, shipbuilding and high-end equipment.

Meanwhile, its strength in AI lies in its strong research capacity, a large talent pool, and a concentration of leading institutions, which jointly create favourable conditions for scaling up innovations and setting national examples,” Jia said.

“If the three-year plan meets its targets, including enabling 3,000 enterprises to adopt smart applications and developing 10 industry benchmarks, it is expected to foster a group of competitive service providers and give an unprecedented boost to the integration of AI and manufacturing across China,” Jia added.

Jia’s views were echoed by Duanmu Haiying, director of the Shanghai MetaNow Metaverse Industry Promotion Centre.

Duanmu said she believes artificial intelligence is one of Shanghai’s three leading industries and has already built a solid foundation for “AI+” applications.

“So far, nearly 100 large models have been registered, industrial internet platforms connect more than 16 million devices, and the city leads the nation in 5G base station density,” she said.

According to Duanmu, Shanghai is home to one-third of China’s AI professionals, and by July 2024, the number of industrial manufacturing enterprises in the city had exceeded 80,000, “giving Shanghai confidence in meeting the plan’s targets by 2028”. — China Daily/ANN