China's premier AI gathering. Government, frontier labs, and industry meet on policy, foundation models, and embodied AI.
The World AI Conference (WAIC) is the largest state-backed AI event in mainland China, drawing over 150,000 attendees and 400+ exhibitors to Shanghai's Xworld Expo Centre each July. Organised under the auspices of the Shanghai Municipal Government with participation from China's Ministry of Science and Technology, WAIC has become the definitive showcase for Chinese AI hardware, large language models, and autonomous systems — an event that Western analysts monitor as closely as CES or Davos for signals about China's AI policy direction.
For APAC enterprise teams, WAIC is the earliest annual read on which Chinese foundation models will be commercially available, which sectors Beijing is prioritising (manufacturing, logistics, public safety, and healthcare have been consistent themes), and how regulators are framing algorithmic governance under the CAC's evolving AI content and algorithm frameworks. The 2025 edition featured debut presentations from Zhipu AI, Baidu ERNIE X, and a dozen robotics startups — expect 2026 to advance the agentic AI and embodied intelligence themes.
AIMenta attends WAIC to brief clients on Chinese LLM developments that affect their vendor shortlists, procurement strategies, and AI supply-chain planning. If you are evaluating Chinese AI platforms for mainland operations or building cross-border AI workflows that touch the PRC, WAIC is the highest-signal event of the year. Contact us for a post-conference briefing or to join our delegation group.