Shanghai emerges as international research and development hub

As the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) outline calls for seizing the commanding heights of industrial artificial intelligence applications and delivering comprehensive empowerment to all sectors of the economy, the nationwide AI-driven industrial transformation is well underway.

Shanghai, the host city of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, has consistently stood at the forefront of this evolution. For example, AI injects vitality into traditional manufacturing alongside 100-meter blast furnaces; robots work alongside scientists as their partners in laboratories; and large AI models shorten the research cycle for new medicines on research platforms.

The city's industrial transformation road map has become increasingly tangible, outlining its transition from "made in Shanghai" to "intelligently made in Shanghai".

Benefiting from the integrated development initiative of the Yangtze River Delta, a top-tier regional development strategy in the country, Shanghai's AI industry has been experiencing rapid growth. It is shaping a collaborative division of labor characterized by "R&D in Shanghai, manufacturing in nearby areas, and application across the Yangtze River Delta".

The Yangtze River Delta region is increasingly presenting to the world a comprehensive AI industry blueprint — a full industry chain matrix extending from chips and optical modules to algorithm models, and from end devices to application scenarios.

Influential center

Over the past year, Shanghai has strived to build a globally influential AI hub by rolling out a complete industry chain and refining its industrial ecosystem, with the AI sector emerging as a key driver of the city's GDP growth.

In 2025, Shanghai was home to 394 AI enterprises above designated size, whose total industrial output exceeded 637 billion yuan ($93.6 billion), representing a year-on-year increase of 39.5 percent.

In the first quarter of this year, the output value of Shanghai's AI manufacturing sector rose by 19.2 percent, outpacing the average growth rate of manufacturing segments within the three pioneering industries of integrated circuits, biopharmaceuticals and AI.

On April 28, Shanghai Xizhi Technology, an enterprise focused on optoelectronic hybrid computing infrastructure, was officially listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Beyond Xizhi, Shanghai has accelerated its development as a "global computing hub" in recent years, backed by forward-looking industrial cluster planning and all-round support policies.

The concentration of computing power enterprises is underpinned by the city's integrated circuit industry nurtured over decades. In the latest Top 100 Cities in Global Integrated Circuit Industry Comprehensive Competitiveness ranking released by the World Integrated Circuit Association, Shanghai ranks fourth worldwide and first in China.

Data from the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatization showed that the city's IC industry output reached approximately 580 billion yuan in 2025, up 15.5 percent year-on-year. The industry's scale has more than doubled over the past five years, exceeding development targets set for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25).

Moreover, Shanghai has built a coordinated and mutually supportive full-stack IC industry chain, fostering a host of leading specialized enterprises covering chip design, wafer fabrication, packaging and testing, semiconductor equipment and materials.

WAIC provides an ideal platform for such AI businesses to showcase their tech expertise and industrial solutions and reach potential partners.