Visitors interact with an exhibit at a tech exhibition hall in Jiading. [Photo/WeChat ID: sh-jiading]
As the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) takes place in Shanghai from July 17 to 20, an innovation hub in the city's Jiading district is helping researchers and startups turn AI ideas into real products.
Located in Xiaomei Science and Technology Park, the Intelligent Manufacturing and Robotics Global Joint Innovation Center connects universities, researchers, investors, and companies. The center aims to speed up the journey from lab research to commercial applications.
One company growing at the center is Rokae (Shanghai), which established its Shanghai R&D center in 2024. Through partnerships with universities and research institutes, its R&D team has grown to nearly 250 people. The company recently went public in Hong Kong, and several embodied AI products developed in Shanghai have entered the market this year.
The center also supports startups beyond technology. DexForce, an embodied AI company, said the park and the local government provided guidance on finance, legal affairs, and business planning, allowing the company to focus on product development. Its AI solutions are now used across more than 50 industries through over 1,500 projects.
Embodied AI is also becoming part of everyday life. A new interactive robotics center has opened in Xiaomei Science and Technology Park, where visitors can experience robot dogs, brain-computer interface games and other AI-powered technologies.
Jiading is further boosting the sector with a new three-year action plan (2026-28) to promote AI-powered industrial software and support leading AI companies. From January to May, the district's strategic emerging industries generated 73.14 billion yuan ($10.2 billion) in output, up 7.5 percent year on year.