Shanghai's AI boom: Powering innovation across industries
Editor's note:
China is cultivating the development of new quality productive forces, referring to growth of higher quality driven by breakthrough innovations and comprehensive sustainability. Let's check out how businesses in Shanghai, which is base to many high-tech companies, fare on this route.
An AI startup in the Xuhui center showcases AI-generated content for design and marketing.
Shanghai is rapidly becoming a powerhouse in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), attracting startups and organizations to unveil AI's value in vertical industries covering the e-commerce, media, gaming and medical sectors.
This thriving ecosystem is fueled by a combination of factors, including abundant AI computing power, a supportive business environment, and a vast landscape of potential applications.
A springboard for AI startups in Xuhui
In Xuhui District's West Bund area, the Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center has become a national level AI incubation base since it was founded in September.
More than 70 AI LLM (large language model) firms, along with over 300 related firms in the AI industry chain, have settled in the center. Tech giants including SenseTime, Huawei and Tencent offer AI computing capacities for the firms in the center, which helps startups with AI capacity, the biggest bottleneck for AI model training and development.
In Xuhui, 15 firms have gained approval to offer AI services to the public, accounting for more than half of the 24 Shanghai firms approved.
"The center offers resources beyond just AI capabilities only. It's now an ecosystem for the whole industry. People can find upstream and downstream partners easily, sometimes just walking downstairs or upstairs," said Chen Haici, general manager of the center.
Startups benefit from a network of potential partners, investors, and service providers, accelerating their journey from concept to commercialization.
In the center, Frontis.ai has developed design and AI generative tools for e-commerce firms and marketing executives. Shanghai-based Midu developed intelligent writing-proof and polishing tools and news sorting services with AI, which can bring "revolutionary efficiency improvement" in professional fields such as press and publication, media manuscript and government documents.
Xmov Studio's facial scanning room, a step to 3D avatar modeling and production.
AI innovations in 3D and medical in Jiading
In northern Jiading District, Xmov Studio focuses on large-scale 3D avatar modeling and production, at a fraction of the traditional cost and time with AI innovations. It's products are widely used in the gaming, finance, e-commerce and media industries.
With new AI tech from 3D face scan, rendering and AI-powered optimization, Xmov Studio can produce 200 3D avatars each month, with free trials for consumers.
In the second quarter, the company will release 3D production AI tools in the overseas markets including the United States, said Chai Jinxiang, Xmov Studio's founder and chief executive.
Meanwhile, medical professionals turn researchers and developers in the Ruijin Hospital's innovation center, which is in Shanghai MedValley in Jiading District.
"With this top-tier hospital's high-quality scientific research and clinical resources, we can progress exceptional projects through clinical trials toward industrialization, ultimately benefiting patients and the public," said Qu Jieming, the hospital's Party secretary.
In the MedValley, three major industrial directions include advanced diagnosis, medical robots and implantable interventional devices.
Ruijin Hospital's innovation center is in Shanghai MedValley in Jiading District.
