A special zone demonstrating the application of AI in machine tools has been added to this year's CIIF for the first time. Shanghai SmartState Technology Co Ltd is attending the fair for the first time, and company executives say the smart agent they are debuting can serve as the brain for machine tools, enabling them to think and evolve on their own.

According to SmartState executives, once given a task, the agent can work out plans, make decisions and optimize processing paths on its own, making its efficiency rate 40 percent higher than other industrial software. With a micrometer-level control accuracy, the agent can program processing paths that no engineer can preset, meeting actual working condition requirements, they added.

Haizol, a digital platform for industrial components, is showcasing AI tools that can help Chinese companies discover new business opportunities.

In Yongkang in Zhejiang province, where nearly 70 percent of the world's stainless drinkware is produced, Haizol helped a client to redefine itself into a stainless steel stamping factory. The company has thus extended its business from bottles into high-performance water storage equipment liners used in the aerospace field and insulin injection liquid storage devices with vacuum layers, the latter of which carries a gross profit margin of 80 percent. These new products are proving popular in the overseas market.

According to Liu Haitao, Haizol partner and vice-president, a single AI tool can be used in the manufacture of all these products, helping companies to break through industry limitations without changing their techniques.

A business matchmaking event was held during the Tuesday session to better link the companies along the machine tool industrial chain while integrating AI more efficiently. This is part of Shanghai's efforts to address the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) action plan, released in July 2024, to cater to the development needs of machine tool companies.

Three demonstration platforms for pilot-scale experiments which will facilitate development of high-end machinery equipment, humanoid robots and new types of energy storage were unveiled during Tuesday's opening ceremony. Pilot-scale experiments are being conducted to validate findings from lab-scale experiments and gather data for commercialization.

Also on Tuesday, Pudong New Area nominated Shanghai's first batch of eight government-authorized chief manufacturing officers. Specializing in emerging technologies, including integrated circuitry, biomedicine, aviation, new-generation electronic information, the officers, who are also company executives, are tasked with providing forward-looking consultation and industry insights which are conducive to the concerted and high-quality development of various industries, according to Pudong officials.

A guideline for the high-level development of industrial parks detailing 19 approaches was also released by the MIIT and the National Development and Reform Commission during Tuesday's opening ceremony.