AI and IC Innovations Take Center Stage at China's Premier Industrial Show

The 26th China International Industrial Fair (CIIF 2026), the country's largest industrial exposition, opened today, bringing together global industry leaders, tech pioneers and supply chain visionaries under one roof.

Running through October 16, this year's landmark event spans an expansive exhibition area of 310,000 square meters. It has attracted over 3,200 exhibitors from 24 countries and regions, showcasing cutting-edge solutions across metalworking, machine tools, industrial automation, robotics, green and low-carbon technologies, and smart grids.

Beyond the massive exhibition floor, the five-day event features 12 high-level forums and more than 100 new product launches, supply-demand matching sessions and investment roadshows.

AI and embodied intelligence reach critical tipping point

Artificial intelligence and robotics dominated discussions during the opening ceremony.

Wang Xingxing, founder and chairman of Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics, shared an optimistic outlook on the rapid evolution of embodied AI. As the capabilities of AI foundation models surge, the technological tipping point for embodied intelligence may arrive far sooner than previously anticipated, he stated.

While acknowledging that large-scale industrial deployment of humanoid and commercial robots still faces challenges with regards to generalization and operational efficiency, he expressed confidence that these hurdles will be resolved within the next few years.

"The biggest mistake I made over the past decade was not believing in AI enough," Wang said, noting that his confidence in AI's transformative power continues to grow each year.

Global industrial leaders echoed strong enthusiasm for China's industrial ecosystem.

Jean-Pascal Tricoire, chairman of French giant Schneider Electric, commended China's world-leading leadership on industrial scale and clean energy adoption. Executives from Schneider Electric China team emphasized that the domestic market offers immense growth potential, particularly in industrial automation infrastructure and next-generation data center facilities.

IC ecosystem show debut highlights semiconductor boom

Marking a major milestone for this year's edition, CIIF 2026 introduced its first-ever standalone Integrated Circuit Pavilion – the IC Ecosystem Show in Hall 5.2. The dedicated platform brought together leading global and domestic companies spanning semiconductor manufacturing, fabrication, raw materials and advanced chipmaking equipment.

Speaking at a CIIF semiconductor forum, Bai Peng, chairman of Hua Hong Group, highlighted the unprecedented momentum in the global chip industry. Driven by rising memory chip prices, the global IC market is projected to double in size this year, crossing the US$1 trillion threshold.

Bai noted that China remains the world's single largest market, consistently accounting for over 30 percent of global semiconductor demand. Hua Hong Group is headquartered in Shanghai.

Industrial AI creates smart factories and boosts global expansion

Throughout the exhibition halls, CIIF 2026 demonstrates how advanced AI technologies are enabling Chinese enterprises to rapidly build new capabilities and expand their international footprint.

Leveraging its newly released JoyIndustrial 2.0 large industrial model, JD Industrial showcased enhanced industrial procurement and supply chain selection workflows. In collaboration with sector leaders, the Beijing-based giant unveiled three interactive application zones onsite for energy, smart automotive manufacturing and construction machinery, demonstrating end-to-end supply chain solutions.

Shanghai-based startup Black Lake Technologies debuted more than 10 decision-making industrial AI Agents covering critical workflows, including quoting, engineering, scheduling, order tracking, quality control, warehousing and anomaly analysis.

Black Lake's AI platform is already deployed across 30,000 pioneer factories. Flagship client Mixue Ice Cream & Tea utilized Black Lake AI to seamlessly connect orders, raw materials, production and quality control, reducing feature development cycles by over 70 percent and boosting overall operational efficiency by 30 percent.

Haizol, an online industrial platform, introduced upgraded AI platform designed to take enterprises "from engineering sketch to finished product". The Shanghai company also announced joint supply-chain co-building initiatives with major Chinese state-owned enterprises, including aerospace heavyweights, boosting end-to-end operational efficiency.