AI and NEVs Take Center Stage as World Smart Industry Expo Opens in Chongqing

CHONGQING, China, Sept. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from iChongqing: The 2025 World Smart Industry Expo opened on September 5 in Chongqing, featuring over 550 companies showcasing more than 3,000 innovations from autonomous driving and AI cockpits to XR film and robotic cafés, highlighting how AI is reshaping industry and life.

Centered on "AI+" and intelligent connected new energy vehicles (NEV), this year's expo highlights digital city governance, robotics, smart living, and the low-altitude economy, with Singapore as the Guest Country of Honor and Sichuan Province as the Guest Province of Honor.

At the opening ceremony, nine keynote speakers outlined how AI is driving social change. Harry Shum Heung-Yeung, Chairman of the Council at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Foreign Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, emphasized the rise of embodied intelligence, predicting robots that can learn, adapt, and collaborate in real-world settings.

Cedrik Neike, Member of the Managing Board and CEO of Digital Industries at Siemens AG, said AI is accelerating the shift toward software-defined automation, enabling industries to become more flexible, efficient, and sustainable.

The expo hosts 11 matchmaking events on AI, digital transformation and equity financing, bringing together Huawei, Baidu and firms with 40 investment institutions. Contracts totaling over 200 billion yuan (about 27.5 billion U.S. dollars), including 120 billion yuan on-site, are signed.

Landmark projects such as Geely's smart manufacturing initiative will strengthen supply chains and boost Chongqing's "33618" advanced manufacturing cluster, a municipal strategy to upgrade the industrial structure and build a nationally significant advanced manufacturing center, driving growth in NEVs, electronics, materials, food processing, textiles, and biomedicine.

The expo's NEV pavilion brings together 20 global automakers, including Changan, Seres and Tesla, supported by more than 100 parts suppliers and ecosystem partners, showcasing advances in smart driving, software-defined vehicles and intelligent manufacturing.

It also serves as a launchpad for new technologies, including Changan's "SDA Intelligence" brand, Chongqing Low-Altitude Smart Management Service Platform, AI Computing Open Architecture, Sugon's AI Supercluster system, and China NEV Challenge.

First held in 2018 and formerly known as the Smart China Expo, the World Smart Industry Expo has become a major platform for digital innovation, uniting industry leaders, scholars, and policymakers to showcase smart tech breakthroughs and foster global collaboration.