Sustainable solutions to drive growth

Q3 DeepSeek has been a buzzword and surprised the world starting this year. AI technology has been deeply integrated with various industries around the world. What opportunities do you foresee for your business from AI technology? What's your view on China's ability to sustain innovation in breakthrough technologies in the coming years?

YIN: China's ability to drive innovation in breakthrough technologies is undeniable, and China is already one of the top players in AI worldwide. At AkzoNobel, innovation is part of our DNA in everyday work. Our China Startup Challenge attracted 210 proposals, leading to collaborations with four startups focused on AI-driven supply chains, recyclable packaging and digital transformation. We are already piloting AI solutions with local partners to enhance our supply chain efficiency. China's dynamic innovation ecosystem inspires us to explore groundbreaking technologies. AI, for example, holds immense potential for our business — ranging from optimizing smart manufacturing to developing sustainable products faster.

ZHOU: At dsm-firmenich, innovation is the cornerstone of our growth. Our innovation pipeline is driven by our eight cutting-edge science capabilities: chemical and process sciences; nutritional and food sciences; formulation and materials science; analytical sciences; artificial intelligence and data science; receptor biology and sensory sciences; microbiome; and biotechnology. China's continuous efforts to drive innovation will further enhance innovation capabilities across industries and the country continues to be an innovation and production hub in our global value chain. Building on a legacy of excellence and investment in science and research, we will continue to introduce exciting new innovations to the Chinese market across nutrition, health and beauty and work closely with our customers in China on what is essential for life, desirable for consumers and more sustainable for the planet.

CHEN: We launched Syensqo.ai within the first year after the establishment of the company following a spin-off. We see tremendous opportunities for using AI to advance innovation. AI enables engineers in the labs and in the plant to look at bigger and more complex scientific and mathematical problems, and to develop solutions which are more universal and have a bigger impact. At Syensqo, we have a digital plan that relies strongly on the adoption of artificial intelligence. It's absolutely clear to us that we need to have AI as a partner of our researchers. It will not be a replacement, but a partner of our researchers to identify innovative ideas. We also believe AI will play a significant role in mapping value chains and assessing vulnerabilities. We've seen more and more Chinese colleagues getting used to work with the help of AI, which is a new productive force.

SHEN: Artificial intelligence is reshaping the automotive industry. Marelli sees tremendous opportunities in vehicle intelligence, manufacturing efficiency and optimizing user experiences. Additionally, Marelli is globally promoting the MAYA generative AI platform and plans to implement Deep Learning AI projects, including product appearance inspections, manufacturing process optimization and production automation. These AI technologies are helping us improve manufacturing efficiency, reduce costs and strengthen quality control capabilities. China demonstrates robust capabilities in AI innovation, supported by government initiatives, extensive talent pools and a thriving AI industrial ecosystem. Marelli will leverage China's innovation strengths to collaboratively develop cutting-edge AI applications, driving the automotive industry toward an intelligent future.