Telecom Giants Drive AI Integration in Industrial Sectors

China's three major telecom carriers showcased deep integration of artificial intelligence at the ongoing World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2026, highlighting advanced applications in industrial sectors and large language model optimization.

At a WAIC forum hosted by China Unicom, Shanghai municipal authorities announced a new batch of 10 demonstration firms designated under the AI Plus Manufacturing initiative, covering 60 distinct industrial AI scenarios.

Leveraging China Unicom's industrial AI platform, the carrier has connected over 14 million devices and accumulated more than 100 terabytes of industrial datasets. The infrastructure has yielded over 75 industrial large models and more than 150 industrial AI agents. In Shanghai, the carrier has partnered with manufacturing giants, including COMAC and Shanghai Electric, China Unicom Chairman Dong Xin told the forum.

Meanwhile, China Mobile is focusing its efforts on building a robust foundation for industrial digital intelligence. The company has developed a suite of tailored industrial internet solutions and created the Tiangong Industrial Internet Platform. The Tiangong platform currently serve key industries, including power, petrochemicals, automotive manufacturing and steel production.

China Telecom has taken a service-oriented approach, optimizing its industrial platform to support 12 mainstream domestic AI chips. The platform serves critical state-owned enterprises such as Sinopec, CNOOC and TravelSky, each with millions of users. Through a single token account and a unified set of APIs, China Telecom delivers secure, reliable, low-latency and cost-effective industrial AI services to its enterprise clients.