Shanghai is accelerating its development of a comprehensive embodied intelligence ecosystem, integrating research, industrial application, and strategic partnerships. The initiative aligns with national directives under China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) to cultivate the intelligent economy and modernize core industrial capabilities.

At a conference held on March 31, 2026, Wu Guogang from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology emphasized that focusing on “embodied intelligent brains” addresses a critical bottleneck in the industry—the shortage of intelligent control systems for physical robotic platforms. The approach aims to strengthen China’s technological competitiveness in advanced AI applications while fostering integration across innovation, industry, capital, and talent chains.

From AI Concept to Physical Implementation

Unlike conventional artificial intelligence, embodied intelligence combines software with non-digital hardware to create systems capable of environmental perception, autonomous operation, and interactive decision-making. Song Haitao, dean of the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, highlighted that the initiative seeks to establish a fully integrated ecosystem encompassing domestically developed chips, algorithms, operating systems, and real-world application scenarios.

The working group plans to:

• Develop 50 core ecosystem partners across industry and research.

• Formulate more than five national or industry-wide standards for hardware-software integration.

• Deploy five replicable and scalable application scenarios demonstrating practical value.

Standardization efforts for humanoid robot AI hardware and software were officially launched, signaling a shift from isolated R&D to structured industrial deployment.

Global Collaboration and Strategic Partnerships

The event also marked the launch of a co-development plan for a global embodied intelligence ecosystem, with the first cohort of strategic partners formalizing agreements. Additionally, plans for an embodied intelligent brain research institute were unveiled, signaling Shanghai’s intent to advance from technological prototypes to full industrial-scale implementation.

By establishing a systematic, collaborative ecosystem, Shanghai aims to position itself as a hub for advanced robotics and embodied AI, creating scalable solutions that could influence global technology development.