The 2026 APEC Ministerial Meeting on Digital Economy and Artificial Intelligence convened in Chengdu on July 23rd, focusing on the theme of "Digital and AI Technology Empowering the Asia-Pacific Community" to deliberate on the new future of artificial intelligence.
Seventy years ago, when scientists like John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, and Claude Shannon gathered at the Dartmouth Conference to brainstorm the topic they termed "artificial intelligence," few could have foreseen that this nascent technology would undergo such a historic and revolutionary leap.
From restructuring industrial development logic to reshaping urban frameworks, from redesigning talent cultivation programs to redefining the direction of global competition and cooperation, a consensus is increasingly clear: any entity that falls behind in AI technology risks being left behind in the new wave of global technological competition, potentially losing influence and dominance in the future.
In fact, since the APEC Digital Week commenced on July 16th, over 30 diverse events have been held, with "artificial intelligence" being the central keyword on the agenda.
As the host location, what answers has Sichuan and Chengdu provided in advancing AI development?
What are Sichuan's Foundations for AI?
The public's widespread awareness of AI is inextricably linked to 2016, the year the AlphaGo program defeated then Go champion Lee Sedol 4-1. This event not only amazed people with AI's complex decision-making capabilities but also hinted at an impending wave of intelligent revolution sweeping the globe.
Addressing a trend yet to fully form requires foresight and strategic planning to seize the initiative. In that very year, AI was incorporated into China's 13th Five-Year Plan. The "Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan" was issued in 2017. The 14th Five-Year Plan in 2021 further listed "next-generation AI" as one of seven key areas for technological frontier advancement. The 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026 mentions "artificial intelligence" 30 times, outlining deployments for the comprehensive implementation of the "AI+" initiative.
This continuous deepening of "top-level design" underscores the extreme importance of AI in national strategic considerations: it is not merely an optional technology for enhancement but a strategic imperative concerning direction, overall situation, and long-term development.
Against this backdrop, regions across China are racing to develop. Sichuan's AI strategy must address two core questions: "AI's role for Sichuan" and "Sichuan's role in AI." The former concerns AI's positioning and weight in advancing Sichuan's modernization, while the latter requires Sichuan to find its precise place within the national AI landscape and pursue a path of differentiated competition.
Sichuan is a major province for science and education, home to numerous prestigious institutions and research centers like Sichuan University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, and the Tianfu Jiangxi Laboratory. This concentration provides the conditions for pooling resources to tackle key core technologies, offering potential for breakthroughs in frontier areas.
Simultaneously, Sichuan is a major economic and industrial province, one of the few in China possessing all 41 major industrial categories and 31 major manufacturing categories. Its rich array of application scenarios provides a natural testing ground for the integration of technology and application.
Based on these foundations, Sichuan has charted a path that advances both "technology" and "application." On one hand, it focuses on攻坚 core technologies like algorithmic chips, foundational large models, and underlying architectures to overcome bottlenecks in key fields. On the other hand, it leverages its abundant industrial, urban governance, and public service scenarios to propel technology out of the lab, fostering a virtuous industrial cycle of R&D, deployment, and iterative optimization.
Over recent years, Sichuan's AI sector has traced an "upwardly mobile" growth curve: the number of AI enterprises continues to grow, covering the entire chain from foundational to technological and application layers; the industry scale is accelerating, with annual revenue exceeding 190 billion yuan last year, a year-on-year increase of over 20%, and revenue for the first half of this year estimated to surpass 100 billion yuan.
Sichuan's Actions in AI Development
Just days ago, over ten Sichuan-based enterprises showcased their latest achievements in foundational hardware, embodied intelligent robots, and intelligent agents at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, engaging with global AI firms.
Taking a broader view, from developing the world's first gallium nitride quantum light source chip to establishing the world's first space-based computing power center constellation, and pioneering breakthroughs in spatial intelligent world models, more "Made in Sichuan" products are making their mark on national and global stages.
Examining Sichuan's AI development journey reveals a clear thread: high-level promotion, precise policy implementation, ecosystem building and chain strengthening, and focused breakthroughs.
Regarding high-level promotion, shortly after the 2024 Spring Festival holiday, the provincial government held a special meeting to study AI, designating it as the "Number One Innovation Project" and signaling "unconventional, maximum, and precise support" for its development.
Years of development have gradually shaped the foundational framework of Sichuan's AI sector, strengthening its "backbone." Efforts include consolidating the computing power base by leveraging Sichuan's abundant clean energy resources like hydropower, wind, and solar to promote computing-electricity integration, accelerating the construction of national computing hub nodes and interconnection platforms under the "East Data, West Computing" project, and putting into operation the National Supercomputing Center in Chengdu and the Chengdu Intelligent Computing Center. The province's available computing power now stands at 48 EFlops, with the proportion dedicated to intelligent computing for AI rising from 10% at the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period to 79% currently.
Key technology breakthroughs are pursued through implementing major AI science and technology projects, tackling 75 major technical equipment challenges, and achieving breakthroughs in over 70 core technologies, such as intelligent joint module development and heavy-load, high-precision traction robots.
The innovation chain is optimized through initiatives like establishing the Sichuan Provincial Artificial Intelligence College, building national and provincial major innovation platforms, and creating pilot-scale testing platforms, thereby creating a systematic structure from talent supply to basic research to application transformation.
The完善 of the innovation and industrial chains has also invigorated the industry. In May this year, Forbes China released its "Top 50 AI Technology Companies" main list and several sub-lists. Chengdu had 11 companies入选, an increase of 7 from the previous year, ranking fourth nationally after Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.
The Future Trajectory for Sichuan's AI in the 15th Five-Year Plan Period
The 2026 Sichuan Provincial Government Work Report upgraded the "Number One Innovation Project" from focusing on "artificial intelligence" to encompassing "artificial intelligence+." Several months later, a supporting document, the "Sichuan Province Implementation Plan for Accelerating the 'AI+' Number One Innovation Project," was issued.
This blueprint for the next decade outlines how "AI+" will cover scientific research, industrial development, cultural development, public services, and social governance, with the goal of reaching the commanding heights of AI industrial application and empowering all sectors of the economy and society.
Under this blueprint, the curtain is rising on the intelligent era across Sichuan. Industries are being activated: visiting the "lights-out factory" of AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co., Ltd., one sees smart brains, digital twins, and intelligent quality inspection重构 production processes, enhancing efficiency and driving the intelligent and digital transformation of traditional manufacturing. At the "Zhuge Space" AI Industry Ecosystem Demonstration Zone, robots of various forms and functions serve as logistics workers, supermarket clerks, tour guides, and medical assistants, with embodied intelligence transitioning from a future industry into the future of industry.
AI is empowering scientific research, leading paradigm shifts and expanding the depth, breadth, and speed of cognition. Looking at the vastness of the cosmos, the High-Energy Gamma Intelligent Factory Computing Platform provides a "smart computing brain" for the High Altitude Cosmic Ray Observatory, continuing the quest to solve the "century-old mystery" of cosmic ray origins. Examining the minuteness of molecules, large models leverage powerful data processing, pattern recognition, and predictive analysis capabilities to precisely identify key disease-causing molecular targets in the microscopic world, shortening drug development cycles.
AI is warming people's livelihoods: grassroots intelligent diagnosis and treatment effectively alleviate uneven distribution of medical resources between urban and rural areas; digital education tools help bring quality education to more areas; smart elderly care equipment and accessible service terminals safeguard the rights of特殊人群. "Hardcore tech" from laboratories is transforming into "new infrastructure for people's livelihoods" in cities.
What Else Does Sichuan Need in the AI Race?
Today, a growing number recognize that AI is not a zero-sum arena but fertile ground for shared human innovation. In this context, the theme "Digital and AI Technology Empowering the Asia-Pacific Community" is timely, placing the concept of "community" within a global perspective and anchoring a fundamental consensus for AI: its development is a worldwide, epochal课题, for which open cooperation is the only way forward.
As the host, Sichuan aims to translate this consensus into operational reality. On one hand, Sichuan needs to align its AI industry development with the needs of the international community, steering it toward more promising and future-oriented directions.
Making advanced technology more inclusive and accessible is key. In recent years, Sichuan Huakun Zhenyu Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. has focused on markets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, providing efficient and stable computing solutions to support local smart factories and manufacturing digital transformation. "We want to offer the world more choices in computing power," said Liu Dong, Senior Vice President of Huakun Zhenyu.
Making innovation tools more accessible and suitable for the masses is another goal. "While giants may shape AI's present, countless 'super individuals' represent its future," explained Gu Miaozheng, Deputy General Manager of Chengdu Mingtu Technology Co., Ltd. By promoting the overseas application of intelligent agents, the company is facilitating the落地 of the "one-person company" model in regions like Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
On the other hand, Sichuan needs to strengthen international cooperation, opening its doors wider for innovation, accelerating AI innovation and application, and完善 AI governance. At last year's Chengdu-Chongqing Region "Belt and Road" International Technology Transfer对接 event, Sichuan Embodied Humanoid Robot Technology Co., Ltd., Hailier Group, and Greece's University of Ioannina signed a cooperation agreement to jointly build an Embodied Intelligence Joint Laboratory, focusing on R&D of key embodied intelligence technologies and international talent cultivation.
Cooperation sparks are闪烁 across an even broader scope. In recent years, Sichuan has released nearly 300 global "two-way challenge and command" lists for achievements,携手 partners in technological innovation and成果转化. These efforts aim to break through key core technologies like intelligent industrial software and high-performance computing chips while also ensuring "Made in Sichuan" technological products benefit the world.
As AI technology accelerates, how can development and governance be balanced, and efficiency and fairness兼顾? Sichuan hopes to work with all parties to build intelligent industry governance mechanisms,完善 regulatory and governance norms, advance standardization system construction, and conduct AI technology ethics reviews. The goal is to make technological innovation more humane, its empowering effects more transparent, and its progress more bounded. In the spotlight, Sichuan is ready to share digital opportunities and co-create the AI era with the world.
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