The 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance recently concluded in Shanghai. As one of the world’s leading events in artificial intelligence, this year’s conference was held under the theme “Intelligent Partners, Building the Future Together.” Featuring an exhibition area of more than 100,000 square meters, over 1,000 global technology innovation companies and the debut of more than 300 cutting-edge technology products, the event showcased the latest trends and innovation capabilities driving the AI industry. Among the many AI innovators presenting their achievements, technology forces from Qingdao stood out with their strong technical foundations and successful real-world applications.
This global AI gathering served not only as a stage for showcasing frontier technologies, but also as a showcase of innovation capabilities from around the world. Among the exhibitors, Qingdao’s technology innovation companies attracted particular attention. By focusing on industrial applications and real-world implementation, these companies moved beyond concept-driven demonstrations commonly seen in the industry, highlighting their solid technological capabilities and practical value.
Deeply engaged in the industrial internet sector, Qingdao-based leading enterprise COSMOPlat once again became a major highlight of the conference, continuing to lead the development of industrial AI in China. At this year’s WAIC, COSMOPlat globally launched its new industrial world model, breaking through the limitations of traditional industrial AI applications focused on individual scenarios and creating an industrial intelligence hub adaptable to diverse manufacturing environments.
Unlike general-purpose large language models, the industrial world model focuses on specialized industrial sectors. Powered by massive industrial data, digital twins and other core technologies, it can accurately adapt to different factory production processes while offering advantages including integration of industrial mechanisms, secure and controllable operation, and scalable deployment. Products such as industrial AI agent clusters and digital employees also made their debut, forming a comprehensive industrial digital solution ecosystem.
Currently, COSMOPlat’s independently developed “1+N+X” model has been implemented in multiple cities across China. In Qingdao’s SCO Demonstration Zone, it has achieved full digital coverage among thousands of above-designated-size industrial enterprises, accelerating the transition of industrial AI from technological trials to large-scale productivity applications and further strengthening Qingdao’s position as a national benchmark for industrial internet development.
Alongside leading enterprises, emerging technology companies based in Qingdao also delivered impressive performances. AI vision industry leader JVIS is a representative example. Established in Qingdao West Coast New Area in 2021, the company is a key artificial intelligence headquarters enterprise introduced by Qingdao and has been recognized as a national-level “Little Giant” enterprise and a high-tech enterprise.
With years of experience in enterprise-level computer vision, JVIS has developed China’s first AI vision algorithm marketplace, featuring more than 1,000 proprietary recognition algorithms. Its technologies serve over 100 application scenarios, including industrial inspection, urban governance and intelligent security, supporting more than 3,000 government and enterprise clients and over 6,000 implemented projects. The company has built a cloud-edge-device integrated AI ecosystem.
Ranking among China’s top-tier companies in the sector, JVIS ranked eighth in China’s enterprise-level visual solution market in 2024. It is among the few companies in the industry that have achieved independent technology development, ecosystem construction and large-scale commercial deployment. In 2026, JVIS successfully listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, becoming the first AI company from Shandong to go public that year. At WAIC 2026, its high-precision full-stack multimodal vision-language technology became one of the key highlights in the sector.
Global industry leader Hexagon AB, which has been rooted in Qingdao for more than 30 years, also made a major appearance at the conference with its comprehensive AI-powered intelligent component inspection solutions, addressing key challenges in precision quality control for intelligent manufacturing.
Hexagon established its Qingdao presence in 1993, making it one of the earliest global high-end manufacturing enterprises to invest in the city. Today, its Qingdao base has become one of the company’s key global R&D and manufacturing hubs. The company specializes in digital precision measurement, industrial intelligent software and full lifecycle intelligent manufacturing solutions, with products widely applied in aerospace, automotive manufacturing, advanced electronics and other strategic industries.
As a global leader in digital measurement technologies and a national-level manufacturing champion enterprise, Hexagon has participated in the development of multiple industry standards and received numerous authoritative recognitions. Its core solutions have maintained a leading global market position, continuously supporting the intelligent and precision-driven transformation of manufacturing industries in Qingdao and across China.
From independent breakthroughs by local leading enterprises to the growth of innovative companies and leadership in specialized sectors, WAIC 2026 clearly demonstrated the tiered development advantages of Qingdao’s AI industry.
Unlike companies focused mainly on conceptual demonstrations, Qingdao exhibitors concentrated on high-value sectors including industrial applications, precision manufacturing and visual AI. Through mature technologies, real-world implementation capabilities and leadership in specialized fields, they stepped into the global technology spotlight, showcasing Qingdao’s industrial strength and innovation vitality in “AI empowering the real economy.”
Editor: Guang Xia/ Wang Yulin
