City has seen artificial intelligence industry grow at rapid rate in recent years

Shanghai, which has identified the artificial intelligence industry as one of its three leading future industries, has achieved outstanding results in such development and is awaiting more global AI businesses to unlock its potential.

The scale of Shanghai's AI industry has surged from 134 billion yuan ($18.47 billion) in 2018 to 380 billion yuan in 2023, according to official data released in June. The number of large-scale enterprises has risen from 183 to 348, positioning it among the highest in the country. Shanghai has also cultivated a talent pool of 250,000 individuals, a notable increase from 100,000 in 2018, constituting approximately one-third of the national total.

Pudong New Area was one of the earliest regions in China to develop the AI industry. By the end of 2023, Pudong New Area had more than 600 key AI enterprises, with the scale of the AI-related industry exceeding 140 billion yuan.

In recent years, Shanghai has implemented policies and provided financial support to the AI sector. For example, a fund of funds with an initial capital of 22.5 billion yuan was established in July to bolster the development of AI in areas such as intelligent chips, smart software, autonomous driving, and intelligent robots. Then in October, a 10-billion-yuan fund was established by the Shanghai State-owned Capital Investment to support AI development in the city.

In recent years, Shanghai has emerged as a prime choice for AI businesses due to its wealth of resources.

Right connections

Rockwell Automation, which has long been a leader in industrial automation, digital transformation and smart development, is keen to use its expertise in AI to support businesses in China to optimize their performance and achieve sustainable development.

"As China undergoes a transformation in its industrial landscape, Rockwell must also evolve into a leading enterprise within the productive service sector," said Ian Shih, president of Rockwell Automation China. "We are poised to bring together partners from diverse industries to address both industrial and societal challenges, ultimately empowering the sustainable development of our society," he added.

Shih said that the rapid industrial automation in China has significantly enhanced production efficiency. Nevertheless, to a certain extent, it has outpaced market demand.

"Dark factories are renowned for their advancements in technology. However, without orders, these facilities may not be able to activate their operations," said Shih. "This means that companies must explore avenues for advancing technological innovation, service innovation and industrial chain innovation, transcending the confines of the factory's 'four walls', aligning with market demands, and spearheading industry trends," he said.

So far, Rockwell has been helping companies to address issues in intellectual property protection, production efficiency enhancement, marketing and upstream and downstream supply chain coordination.

"Rockwell will leverage its advantage in automation to gather global partners to create new demand," said Shih.

In 2023, Rockwell partnered with Caohejing High-Tech Park in Shanghai to establish a net-zero co-innovation center. This center is dedicated to incubating scientific innovation, advancing green development and enhancing the local supply chain.

Shih, who was awarded the Shanghai Magnolia Silver Award in 2024, said that Shanghai is a place where it's easy for companies to get connected with governments and industries, which is ideal for the research and development of AI technologies.

"The business environment in Shanghai is highly open. There are multinational companies and leading Chinese companies gathering in Caohejing High-Tech Park and Shanghai. The industrial park is active in assisting us to communicate with businesses and promote the application of our new products and services," Shih said.

Rich resources

This year, Dun & Bradstreet, a leading business data and analytics provider from the United States, introduced generative AI solutions such as D&B Hoovers SmartMail AI and ChatD&B into the Chinese market to empower the decision-making of its clients. According to the company, the D&B Hoovers SmartMail AI, which is designed to boost sales prospecting and lead generation, was launched in China in the first half of 2024. This product can assist Chinese foreign trade companies in streamlining their targeted outreach processes by automating messaging and deploying them to highly targeted contacts.

"Leveraging D&B Hoovers' nearly 300 million active businesses and more than 450 million commercial contacts, SmartMail AI can help users quickly generate customized multilingual outreach emails, significantly improving the efficiency and effectiveness of reaching potential customers," said Andrew Wu, general manager of Dun& Bradstreet China.

During the 2024 China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Dun & Bradstreet made the Asian debut of ChatD&B, the company's generative AI assistant that produces instant business insights on companies and professional contacts.

According to the company, ChatD&B can surface learning across the company's data blocks, delivering actionable insights to its users ranging from prospecting to company due diligence. ChatD&B users can ask questions in conversational language, and it has the intelligence to access and analyze the underlying data to deliver the most relevant and accurate output.

"ChatD&B combines cutting-edge generative AI technology with Dun & Bradstreet's compliant, high-quality and trusted global data," said Wu.

He continued: "Leveraging Dun & Bradstreet's database which covers nearly 600 million enterprises worldwide, users can obtain information about a business in seconds through natural language conversations.

"This enables users to access and utilize data more conveniently and efficiently, significantly reducing user barriers, cutting down on manpower and time costs, and enhancing productivity.

"Since we launched ChatD&B at the CIIE, we have seen a significant number of interested users inquiring about it. Some early users are trying out this product and we have also received positive feedback."

Dun& Bradstreet, established in China more than 40 years ago, has been expanding its reach to support clients' expansion and enhance productivity by using its expertise in AI technology.

Wu said that the company will increase investment in data, technology and expertise in various application scenarios to embrace the Chinese market.

"We will consolidate global data resources and conduct R&D for the goal of'in China, for China'. We will also accelerate the application and promote the integration of AI technology across various industries to better facilitate the decision-making of businesses," Wu said.

Shanghai, a city for Dun& Bradstreet to begin its venture in the Chinese mainland, has identified AI as one of its three leading future industries. It is deemed a preferred destination by AI companies, according to Wu.

Wu said that Shanghai has strong government funding and policy support, high-quality data resources that form the foundation for AI technology development, abundant application scenarios, and a massive talent pool, all of which are crucial for the development of companies.

"Shanghai can provide business opportunities for companies like Dun & Bradstreet and support the construction of an AI ecosystem," Wu said.

World-class showcase

The CIIE, scheduled to take place annually from Nov 5 to 10 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, has emerged as a prime platform for global AI businesses to showcase their latest products and engage with industry players. The AI subsection, introduced at the 2022 CIIE, has attracted numerous industry giants over the past three editions to share their insights and latest developments with their partners.

AMD, a high-performance and adaptive computing leader from the US, showcased its leading end-to-end AI infrastructure products and solutions under the theme of "AI+ New Productive Force" at the 2024 CIIE. It also marked AMD's fourth consecutive time participating in the event.

At the 2024 edition, AMD's demonstration spotlighted AI technologies in commercialization scenarios including enterprise intelligence, smart manufacturing, content creation, office collaboration and intelligent vehicles. Using PCs, workstations, servers and automotive solutions as devices, AMD showcased its computing AI chip products, technologies and solutions developed in partnership with outstanding independent software vendor partners for the Chinese market, covering cloud-edge-endpoint solutions.

"AI is a strategic priority at AMD. With our continuous efforts in AI, AMD has achieved new innovations and significant breakthroughs in AI deployments and applications. The CIIE provides a high-level international platform for us to showcase our broad range of AMD end-to-end AI solutions and applications with our ecosystem partners.

"Through expanded cooperation with Chinese partners, we are accelerating the digital transformation and industrial upgrade, providing a robust AI computing engine for new quality productive forces," said Spencer Pan, AMD's senior vice-president and president of AMD Greater China.

"Leveraging the high-profile platform of the CIIE, we fully showcased a broad spectrum of AMD AI solutions across smart office collaboration, data center and intelligent vehicles, highlighting our vision of using high-performance and adaptive computing to transform our lives," he said.

AMD's headquarters in Beijing for China marked its 20th anniversary in 2024, and Pan said the company is keen to join hands with more local partners toward a better future.

"2024 marks a significant milestone of the establishment of AMD Greater China. In these two decades, we've deeply felt the huge market potential and dynamics here.

"Today, AI has become a new quality productive force that empowers industrial upgrading, we are looking forward to working with more Chinese partners to empower productivity in all walks of life with AI and shape a more intelligent and efficient future together," Pan said.