As robots take on more tasks on factory floors, AI agents begin to support industrial operations, and artificial intelligence increasingly informs manufacturing decisions, Changzhou is redefining what it means to be a global hub for advanced manufacturing.

Over the past six months, the city has hosted a series of high-profile national events, including the 2026 National AI Agent Developers Conference, the Wu Wenjun Artificial Intelligence Innovation Conference, and the 2026 AI Storage Industry Conference. More than industry gatherings, these events have signaled Changzhou’s growing role in China's AI-driven industrial transformation.

Building on its strengths in new energy industries, the city is now extending its competitive edge into artificial intelligence, robotics and intelligent manufacturing. By integrating AI with its robust industrial base, Changzhou is creating new engines of growth and opening a new chapter in its modernization drive.

Where AI meets manufacturing

For Changzhou, the greatest value of artificial intelligence lies not in developing ever-larger language models, but in applying AI to the real economy.

Over the past decade, the city has established itself as one of China's leading manufacturing centers through the rapid development of industries such as power batteries, new energy vehicles and photovoltaics. Today, as AI reshapes global manufacturing, Changzhou sees the next opportunity in enabling factories—not just algorithms—to become smarter.

Rather than focusing solely on frontier AI technologies, the city is working to ensure that AI can understand industrial processes, improve production efficiency and solve practical manufacturing challenges.

This vision is already becoming reality across Changzhou's factories.

At the Changzhou manufacturing base of Li Auto, robotic arms operate around the clock on the final assembly line, while an underground automated logistics system spanning several kilometers continuously transports key components throughout the plant. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) deliver doors, seats and other large assemblies with precision, ensuring a highly coordinated production process.

At NR Electric, dozens of industrial robots now perform welding, assembly and inspection tasks that once required intensive manual labor. AI-powered machine vision systems detect product defects in real time, while digital twin technology continuously monitors equipment performance. Every movement of a robotic arm and every fluctuation in energy consumption is transformed into data, enabling constant optimization of production efficiency.

A similar transformation is taking place at Gian Technology. In its AI-enabled quality inspection workshop, industrial cameras combined with deep-learning algorithms can identify microscopic defects on precision gears within 0.2 seconds—imperfections that would be virtually impossible to detect with the naked eye. Rather than simply replacing workers, AI is helping manufacturers overcome quality bottlenecks in high-end precision manufacturing.

Across the city, AI is giving machines the ability to "see," production lines the ability to "think," and factories the ability to continuously optimize themselves. Each successful industrial application demonstrates how digital intelligence is becoming an integral part of Changzhou's manufacturing ecosystem.

More importantly, these innovations are laying the foundation for the city's next phase of industrial upgrading. Instead of treating AI as a standalone technology, Changzhou is embedding it throughout the manufacturing value chain, accelerating the transition toward smarter, more efficient and more resilient production.

From smart factories to intelligent robots

Artificial intelligence is also transforming the physical world through robotics, opening new possibilities for advanced manufacturing. As AI technologies become increasingly capable of perception, reasoning and decision-making, robots are evolving from automated machines into intelligent partners on the factory floor.

Recognizing this shift, Changzhou has positioned robotics as a strategic extension of its AI ambitions.

At the beginning of 2026, the city hosted the National AI Agent Developers Conference, where it unveiled an "AI+" Action Plan, a catalog of application scenarios for intelligent agents, and a dedicated AI industry fund. Together, these initiatives aim to accelerate the adoption of AI across industries and establish Changzhou as a national demonstration city for AI-powered industrial applications.

Behind these initiatives lies a clear industrial strategy. Rather than pursuing AI development in isolation, Changzhou is leveraging its manufacturing strengths to create an ecosystem where artificial intelligence and robotics reinforce each other.

Within the Yangtze River Delta, each major city has developed its own competitive advantages. Shanghai leads in research and innovation resources, Suzhou has built a comprehensive robotics supply chain covering complete machines, key components and automation systems, while Hangzhou is rapidly advancing embodied AI through its strength in algorithms.

Changzhou has chosen a different path.

Instead of competing directly in research or software development, the city is capitalizing on its extensive manufacturing base and abundant industrial application scenarios. This allows AI technologies to be rapidly tested, refined and deployed in real production environments.

Such advantages are particularly valuable for embodied AI robots, whose capabilities improve through continuous interaction with complex industrial tasks. From automotive production and power battery manufacturing to rail transit equipment and high-end machinery, Changzhou offers a diverse range of real-world scenarios where robots can learn, adapt and evolve.

The city's well-established industrial chains have therefore become not only manufacturing assets but also training grounds for next-generation intelligent robots.

The momentum is already evident.

Changzhou is now home to 141 companies engaged in embodied AI robotics and related industrial chains. In 2025, enterprises above designated size in the sector generated a combined output value of 34.43 billion yuan, representing year-on-year growth of 15.6 percent. During the first five months of 2026, output value reached 15.14 billion yuan, up 17.4 percent from the same period last year.

Robots are also becoming an increasingly familiar presence in local factories. More than 80 advanced smart factories across Changzhou have deployed nearly 3,800 industrial robots, with over 60 percent serving the new energy vehicle industry. At Xingyu Automotive Lighting Systems alone, close to one thousand robots have been introduced into assembly operations.

Meanwhile, a number of landmark projects are accelerating the city's robotics ecosystem.

In Wujin National Hi-tech District, AgiBot and Creativity (Shanghai) Intelligent Technology are jointly developing an embodied AI industrial cluster focused on precision machining and CNC machine tending. The first batch of 50 humanoid robots has already entered factory workshops, with the number expected to increase to 200 by the end of the year.

Elsewhere, Jiangsu Jingrui Center has launched a data collection and training platform for embodied AI, where 50 wheeled humanoid robots are currently in operation. The facility plans to expand its training fleet to 150 robots within the year.

Other projects are also moving forward. Xingyu Automotive Lighting Systems has established a joint venture with JAKA Robotics to manufacture embodied intelligent robotic systems, while Micro-Intelligence has introduced AI-powered inspection robots for quality control of die-cast components used in new energy vehicles.

As these projects gather pace, Changzhou is gradually building a complete ecosystem that connects AI algorithms, robotic hardware, manufacturing scenarios and industrial applications. Rather than viewing robots simply as automated equipment, the city is cultivating an environment where intelligent machines continuously learn from production and, in turn, help transform manufacturing itself.

Building the foundations for the AI era

While AI applications and robotics have attracted widespread attention, Changzhou is also investing in a less visible—but equally critical—part of the AI value chain: advanced data storage.

As large AI models become more sophisticated, demand for high-performance storage is growing rapidly. Beyond computing power, the ability to efficiently store, access and process massive volumes of data is becoming an essential component of next-generation AI infrastructure.

Recognizing this trend, Changzhou is positioning advanced storage technologies as a new strategic growth area.

At the 2026 AI Storage Industry Conference held in June, Beijing Memblaze Technology Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the West Taihu Science and Technology Industrial Park to jointly establish an innovation platform for next-generation storage media.

At the same event, the West Taihu (Changzhou) Advanced Storage Industrial Park and the Advanced Storage Media Innovation Center were officially inaugurated, marking another step in the city's efforts to develop a comprehensive storage industry ecosystem.

The significance of these projects extends beyond individual investments.

While much of the industry's attention has focused on computing power, Changzhou sees data storage as another critical pillar supporting the future development of artificial intelligence. High-performance storage technologies are becoming increasingly important for AI model training, cloud computing, database systems and other data-intensive applications that require high-speed data access, ultra-low latency and greater energy efficiency.

This strategy also reflects Changzhou's pragmatic approach to industrial development.

Unlike neighboring cities that have established strong positions in semiconductor manufacturing or integrated circuit design, Changzhou is concentrating on segments where it can build distinctive competitive advantages. Rather than competing directly in advanced wafer fabrication, the city is focusing on industrial-grade storage, automotive-grade storage, AIoT storage modules and integrated storage systems.

The goal is to establish a complete industrial chain spanning research and development, pilot testing, module manufacturing and application demonstration, with the ambition of building a storage industry worth more than 100 billion yuan within the next three to five years.

Looking ahead, Changzhou is integrating its strengths in green energy with emerging AI infrastructure, promoting the coordinated development of clean power, computing capacity and advanced storage technologies. Together, these capabilities will provide the foundation for the city's next generation of intelligent manufacturing.

Changzhou's rise as a manufacturing powerhouse was driven by the global transition toward new energy industries. Today, as artificial intelligence reshapes manufacturing once again, the city is seeking to seize a new opportunity—not by following established paths, but by identifying emerging technologies where it can create lasting competitive advantages.

By combining a strong industrial base with a forward-looking innovation strategy, Changzhou is positioning itself not only to adapt to the AI era, but to help shape it.

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