A twin-arm robot precisely and quickly assembles components into a laptop module with incredible accuracy at the eighth Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade .
The scene left many in awe and highlights a larger transition underway in Chongqing, the expo's host city in southwest China, where artificial intelligence ( AI ) is transforming local production into a digital, intelligence-driven enterprise.
Carrying the theme "New Western China , New Manufacturing, New Services ," the event opened in Chongqing and will run until Sunday (May 24), attracting nearly 1,400 companies from 50 countries and regions.
For highly precise and repetitive tasks, prolonged manual work is prone to errors. By integrating intelligent algorithms, robots can significantly improve the stability and consistency of product manufacturing, said Cheng Yuan, a testing engineer at Chongqing Huashu Robotics Co., Ltd., the manufacturer of the robots on display.
AI not only increases productivity but also improves safety and working conditions in industrial environments, freeing workers from harsh and dangerous environments.
In many industrial plants, workers face hazards such as falling objects and thick dust, making manual transportation activities potentially dangerous.
To address these challenges, New Generation (Chongqing) Intelligent Equipment Technology Co., Ltd. has developed an intelligent transportation vehicle equipped with an AI-based obstacle perception and avoidance system, enabling autonomous navigation in complex industrial environments. Customized algorithms were also developed in response to specific client needs, enabling the vehicle to operate safely in dusty or humid factories, according to the company's software engineers.
Similar AI-based enhancements are transforming other heavy industries. CISDI Information Technology (Chongqing) Co., Ltd. is focusing on AI-based enhancements in the steel industry, using a self-developed AI platform to not only improve production quality but also free workers from extremely hot and potentially dangerous environments.
The platform, combined with intelligent cameras and deep learning algorithms, is capable of performing tasks such as raw material screening, flame recognition, and rolling process control, covering more than 100 application scenarios across the entire steel production process.
"In the past, workers had to wear protective goggles and directly observe flames that reached temperatures of 1,500 to 1,600 degrees Celsius," said Pang Shuyang, an AI engineer at CISDI Information. He added that the company now uses machine vision cameras and AI algorithms to replace human eyes, achieving an accuracy rate of over 99 percent.
"To truly empower industries, AI requires not only algorithms, computing power, and data, but also rich real-world application scenarios, a talent pool, and an open and collaborative ecosystem," said Zhang Chengqi, chair professor of AI at Hong Kong Polytechnic University , in his opening remarks at the expo.
Covering all 31 major manufacturing categories in China, Chongqing provides favorable conditions for enterprises to develop smart manufacturing and digital transformation.
At the Seres Super Factory in Chongqing, more than 1,600 intelligent terminals and 3,000 robots operate collaboratively in the production of new energy vehicles, achieving 100 percent automation for key production processes such as welding and painting.
Using AI-based visual inspection technology, the system can complete dozens of inspections on a single component in seconds, significantly improving product consistency and quality control.
By 2025, Chongqing's core AI industry will grow 23.6 percent year-on-year, according to Yang Fan, deputy director of the city's economic and informatization commission. Chongqing now has four "lighthouse factories" certified by the World Economic Forum in recognition of their technology- driven industrial transformation.
China has pledged to accelerate digital and intelligent technology innovation and expand "AI plus" practices to boost economic and social development and drive a profound transformation of production methods, according to the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), released in March.
An "AI + Manufacturing" matching event was held at the expo, attracting entrepreneurs, investors, researcher.
