The World Intelligence Congress creates a platform for participants from China and abroad that combines exhibitions, competitions and artificial intelligence experiences.

Hosted by the National Development and Reform Commission; the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; the National Radio and Television Administration; the Cyberspace Administration of China; the Chinese Academy of Sciences; the Chinese Academy of Engineering; the China Association for Science and Technology and the Tianjin government, the WIC has been held for six sessions since 2017, with a total of 13 main forums and 141 parallel forums.

Over the years, the WIC has attracted 439 experts and scholars including Nobel Prize and Turing Award winners, academicians and university presidents and more than 60,000 participants such as entrepreneurs, political leaders, representatives of international organizations, experts and scholars from 57 countries and regions to exchange views on the latest trends in intelligent technology and challenges in core technologies.

A total of 117 Fortune 500 companies, 369 Chinese Fortune 500 companies, 1,040 unicorns and tech companies, as well as universities and research institutions, have participated in WIC sessions, demonstrating Tianjin's intelligent technology development and showcasing the latest technologies and products in the fields of smart cities, intelligent manufacturing, smart living, transportation and energy.

Through cutting-edge technologies and scenarios such as extended reality, AI, 3D and the metaverse, the WIC has broken through the limitations of time and space to offer immersive experiences for visitors.

A number of intelligent application scenarios, including the comprehensive smart city in the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, the smart transformation of Tianjin Port, China Unicom's 5G application innovation experience base and the WIC flight of Tianjin Airlines, have allowed participants to witness the achievements of a digital Tianjin in recent years.

Over the past sessions, the WIC has achieved fruitful results by spreading advanced ideas, building international platforms, creating intelligent scenarios, deepening strategic cooperation and launching projects.

Wan Gang, chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, said that the WIC has become an international exchange platform that showcases new developments and perspectives in the field of AI. It is also a way for China to demonstrate the development of its AI industry to the world.

The WIC has advanced the practice of the national AI strategy in Tianjin, proposed important measures for the development of the smart technology industry, established special funds for smart manufacturing and a new generation of AI.

It has also helped formulate the Opinions for Tianjin to Implement the Outline of the Digital Economy Development Strategy and the Action Plan for Constructing the National New-Generation Artificial Intelligence Innovation Development Experimental Zone in Tianjin.

Tianjin has received the honorable titles of a national pilot zone for the innovation and application of AI, a national pilot zone for internet-connected vehicles and a national manufacturing innovation center.

The WIC has played a leading role in the smart technology industry and accelerated the digitization of the sector. Regulations on the promotion of Tianjin's smart manufacturing development have been formed and local governments have allocated a special fund of nearly 10 billion yuan ($1.43 billion) to support some 3,000 projects and build more than 300 smart factories and digital workshops.

A total of 31 companies in Tianjin were awarded as excellent solutions for industrial internet applications by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, ranking first in the country.

The cumulative number of enterprises that have achieved industry integration through IT exceeds 1,400, with the industry integration index reaching 107.2, ranking among the highest in the country.

Eleven projects in the city were selected as demonstration items for the development of the big data industries by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2022, ranking third in the country.

Tianjin's communication infrastructure construction is at the forefront of the country, with more than 55,000 5G base stations. The fixed broadband user download speed ranks second nationally.

The software and information technology service industry's income reached 272.2 billion yuan, a surge of 101.3 percent compared to five years ago. Humi Network in Tianjin has cultivated 26 industrial internet platforms with more than 10,000 enterprises.

A total of 702 cooperation agreements were signed during six sessions of the WIC, with a total investment of 543.8 billion yuan.

Of them, eight cooperation agreements were signed with national ministries, universities and institutions, and two rounds of cooperation agreements were signed between the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Tianjin to support high-quality development of the manufacturing industry.

Nineteen strategic agreements were signed with leading companies such as China Electronics Corporation, CETC, CRRC, Huawei and Tencent. A total of 675 specific project cooperation agreements were signed among various departments and districts.

Landmark projects include Huawei's North China headquarters, Tencent's largest IDC data center in China, iFlytek's China Speech Valley, CETC new materials and Lenovo's new vision headquarters.

The WIC has formed deep cooperation with a group of international organizations and institutions such as UNESCO, the World Federation of Engineering Organizations and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft research organization.

Politicians from 41 countries and organizations have gathered in Tianjin over the years to deepen international cooperation. Audiences from more than 30 countries and regions such as the US, the UK, Germany, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore have watched the live broadcasts online.

The WIC boasts 100 global websites and platforms. The total online views of the live broadcasts have accumulated to more than 8 billion people.

Staff members check a public charging pile at a community. Tianjin has taken the lead in China in developing smart grid, benefiting local manufacturing companies. CHINA DAILY