As one of China's leading AI innovation hubs, Pudong New Area demonstrated the strength of its end-to-end AI ecosystem, from frontier research and core technologies to real-world industrial applications at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) from July 17 to 20.

Locally-based companies unveiled a series of breakthrough products during the conference.

TuringQ introduced QAgent, the world's first photonic quantum-classical hybrid agent platform designed to make quantum computing more accessible for industry users.

AGIBOT presented its A3 humanoid robot, capable of autonomously playing table tennis through real-time decision-making, while ABB Group showcased the latest industrial applications of physical AI for intelligent manufacturing.

Companies including OYMotion, Stonehill and PrimeBOT also launched new products spanning such domains as brain-computer interfaces, AI interaction and robots designed for personal and household use.

A brain-computer interface on display at 2026 WAIC in Shanghai. [Photo/WeChat ID: pdnews]

Beyond technological innovation, 2026 WAIC highlighted the rapid commercialization of AI. Pudong enterprises demonstrated applications across intelligent manufacturing, healthcare, and embodied intelligence, reflecting the district's growing role in translating cutting-edge research into practical solutions.

The conference also brought significant industry collaboration. Insilico Medicine signed a strategic partnership with Tencent Health to advance AI-powered drug discovery and cloud-based life science models.

Pudong's innovation capabilities were also recognized through the prestigious SAIL Award (Super AI Leader Award), which was granted to DF1000, a high-performance software-defined near-memory computing chip developed by Shanghai Eastern Computing.