An entrepreneurship salon exploring new possibilities for AI-driven innovation was held on the evening of December 16 at Origin Space of the West Taihu (Changzhou) International AI Community. At the event, global innovation platform Plug and Play China announced the launch of its first international OPC (One Person Company) community. Zhou Wei, deputy secretary of the CPC Changzhou Municipal Committee and mayor of Changzhou, and Xu Jieping, CEO of Plug and Play China, jointly unveiled the Plug and Play China OPC International Community.

The launch marks another strategic upgrade of Plug and Play China’s presence in Changzhou, aimed at building a new benchmark for deep integration between global innovation resources and local industries under the “AI+” framework.

Deepening roots in Changzhou: from innovation center to OPC community

As artificial intelligence accelerates changes in production models, the OPC concept has evolved into a new entrepreneurial paradigm—where “one person plus AI equals a company”—emerging as a breeding ground for so-called “super individuals.”

Plug and Play China has maintained a long-term and substantive partnership with Changzhou. In November 2024, the Plug and Play China Changzhou International Innovation Center was launched at the China-Israel Changzhou Innovation Park. Following early-stage incubation and acceleration, the center has attracted 16 high-quality projects, including BetterData and Xinrun New Energy, and has launched the Innovate X·2025 Global AI Innovation Challenge.

The unveiling of the OPC International Community signals a shift in cooperation from broad-based incubation to more vertically focused development, introducing advanced global “AI+” concepts and innovation projects into Changzhou.

Differentiated positioning: building a two-way innovation channel linked to Silicon Valley

While local integration provides the foundation, international connectivity defines the community’s distinguishing feature. As Plug and Play’s first OPC-dedicated community established overseas, its core strength lies in its high level of internationalization and real-time interaction with Plug and Play’s Silicon Valley headquarters, forming a distinctive two-way channel for innovation resources.

On one hand, leveraging Plug and Play’s Silicon Valley-based GOAL program, the community will provide qualified local projects with pathways for global expansion. Selected teams will enter incubation programs in Silicon Valley and gain direct access to leading venture capital firms and industrial partners.

On the other hand, serving as a landing platform for international innovators, the community will identify overseas OPC projects and top-tier talent aligned with Changzhou’s industrial ecosystem through Plug and Play’s global network, introducing them directly into the city for localized development.

Xu Jieping, CEO, managing partner and executive director of Plug and Play China, said that open innovation hinges on building bridges that allow resources to flow efficiently. “We deliver not only products, but value. This two-way mechanism breaks down geographic barriers and enables seamless cross-border mobility of talent and projects, positioning Changzhou as a key hub connecting China’s industries with global technologies,” Xu said.

Practice-oriented empowerment: a six-pillar model to turn ideas into orders

With platforms and channels in place, the key question becomes how to translate innovation into tangible outcomes. In response to the asset-light, knowledge-intensive nature of OPCs, the international community has outlined a clear six-pillar operational framework, offering full-cycle, practice-oriented services and creating an open marketplace for technical resources.

First, it will strengthen computing infrastructure by integrating computing power from leading domestic and international providers and providing access to mainstream large-model interfaces, offering one-stop solutions ranging from algorithm optimization to high-performance computing.

Second, it will activate developer communities by building hands-on exchange platforms. The community plans to engage with international developer platforms such as GitHub, Hackaday and Kaggle, while also linking closely with domestic communities including CSDN, Open Source China and SegmentFault. Regular technical salons will place Changzhou developers at the forefront of global innovation dialogue.

Third, it will adopt a demand-driven approach by establishing an “innovation scouting” mechanism. This involves identifying pain points on production floors of leading local enterprises and translating industrial needs into concrete AI algorithm tasks, for which startups will be recruited on a targeted basis.

Fourth, capital support will be provided through the establishment of an OPC early-stage direct investment fund, offering a combination of financial backing and business resources. Invested companies will receive priority access to proof-of-concept (PoC) collaboration opportunities with industry leaders.

Fifth, competition-driven commercialization will be pursued by building on the proven Innovate X·2025 Global AI Innovation Challenge. The community plans to launch an OPC International Innovation Challenge as its flagship event, attracting global teams to tackle real-world challenges, with winning teams securing direct commercial contracts.

Sixth, the community will deliver full-chain support services, offering integrated assistance ranging from workspaces and policy applications to legal consulting, allowing entrepreneurs to focus fully on research and development.

An AI application developer preparing to join the community said that access to enterprise-level computing resources and direct links to Changzhou’s new energy and automotive supply chains provide exactly the environment small, innovation-driven teams need.

On the same evening, the community hosted its inaugural OPC Innovation Night. The founder of Shanghai Lightyear Fold Robotics shared practical experience in robotics and embodied intelligence under the OPC model, while a guest from Shanghai Zhiyuan Innovation Technology delivered a keynote titled From “Digital Brains” to “Physical Bodies”: The Ultimate Frontier of High-Quality AI Development, exploring pathways from digital intelligence to real-world applications.

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