July 29 — The 2025 ZGC Forum Series Event — the ZGC AI and Future Cities Forum was successfully held at the Zhongguancun National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone Exhibition Center. The forum was hosted by the Zhongguancun Science City Management Committee, co-hosted by the Beijing Haidian District Data Bureau, and organized by Zhongguancun Science City Data Investment & Operations (Beijing) Group Co., Ltd., Zhongguancun Smart City Co., Ltd., and the Beijing Software and Information Service Industry Association. Themed “AI + City: Digital Intelligence Unleashing a New Era”, the forum focused on key topics including the practical implementation of AI innovative applications, new-type data infrastructure construction, data elements value release mechanisms, and urban intelligent governance. It invited academicians, experts, and representatives from government departments, universities and research institutes, new-type R&D institutions, and leading enterprises to release cutting-edge achievements, deepen practical cooperation, and promote the integration and symbiosis of AI technology and urban development at higher dimensions and deeper levels, charting a more forward-looking, applicable, and sustainable new path for the building of smart cities.
Wu Hequan, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Former Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Delivers Speech
Yin Hao, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Delivers Speech
Qiu Zhiming, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Delivers Speech
Wu Hequan, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Former Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Yin Hao, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, respectively delivered keynote reports titled “AI Empowering the Dimensional Upgrade of Smart Cities” and “IoT Empowering Urban Digital Transformation: Challenges and Response Strategies”. From different perspectives, they elaborated on the conceptual essentials of new technologies such as AI empowering smart city construction, sketching a beautiful blueprint for smart city building. Qiu Zhiming, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, delivered a video address, expressing his hope that the forum would contribute to promoting the deep integration of AI and urban development through the collision of ideas and the blending of wisdom. Relevant leaders from Guanglun Intelligence, which focuses on simulation and synthetic data; Zhongke Zidong Taichu, which stems from the multimodal general AI large model developed by the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing Capital Highway Development Group Yunxingyu Company, one of the earliest domestic enterprises engaged in expressway intelligent transportation system integration; and Geovis, which uses frontier technologies such as spatial intelligence and digital twin to build China's version of the “Digital Earth”, respectively delivered speeches, sharing their enterprises' innovative explorations, gains, and experiences in their respective fields.
At the forum, achievements in application paradigm innovation and upgrades, intelligent agent products, and trusted data space outcomes were released.
To continuously advance the “AI Plus” Action Plan and ignite innovation vitality in the digital economy, the Zhongguancun Science City AI Panoramic Empowerment Action Plan was unveiled in August 2024. Marking the first anniversary of the plan's implementation, the 2025 AI Panoramic Empowerment Typical Cases were released. The over 40 selected cases span 10 major domains, including AI4S, Embodied AI, and pharmaceutical and healthcare, driving innovation through scenarios and expanding boundaries with AI.
ZGC Smart City Released Intelligent Agent Products and Trusted Data Space Products. The 21 intelligent agent products, jointly developed with ecosystem partners including Baidu AI Cloud, Tencent Cloud, and Aibee Intelligent, cover five categories: urban governance, urban services, public safety, education and health, and government affairs. Based on the accumulated experience from the Haidian AI Innovation District and explorations in multiple locations nationwide, these products represent a new form of digital intelligence that evolves alongside urban development. The trusted data space products provide technologically advanced, compliant, and reliable foundational support for the secure and efficient circulation of data elements, serving as a benchmark to lead industry growth.
Multiple achievements have been put into practice. State Grid Beijing Haidian Power Supply Company released the urban power trusted data space solution. Haidian District Qinglongqiao Sub-district Office released the urban power empowerment for grassroots governance scenario.
Centering on the ecological co-construction of “AI Plus” and “Data Elements×”, and promoting north-south collaborative innovation, the forum formed a series of heavyweight partnerships. Data Group and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications signed an agreement to jointly build a university-enterprise joint laboratory, focusing on intelligent technology and urban innovation, cooperating on research and releasing smart city indicator systems to provide intellectual support for the AI innovation district. ZGC Smart City and Jiangsu Provincial Planning and Design Group signed an agreement to jointly create demonstration benchmarks for urban digital intelligence transformation and urban renewal planning, construction, and operation, deepening technological innovation and promoting talent exchange. ZGC Smart City and Jilin Province Jingfa Innovation Investment Group Co., Ltd. signed an agreement to cooperate on the construction of smart cities, low-altitude economy, and other digital economy industries, as well as the urban intelligent agent application innovation center. Data Group, State Grid Beijing Haidian Power Supply Company, Qinglongqiao Sub-district, and ZGC Smart City signed an agreement to build a “five-horizontal, two-vertical” trusted data space infrastructure capability system, create a power and energy data elements circulation center, and promote cross-entity sharing of energy data.
As a critical underpinning for smart city construction, intelligent agent products require broader, deeper, and more open ecosystem collaboration. At the forum, 24 organizations jointly launched the Intelligent Agent Ecosystem Cooperation Program, including Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, CAICT, Baidu Netcom, Tencent Cloud, Zhipu Huazhang, Yingxin Development, China Energy Engineering Corporation North-Star, Data Group, ZGC Smart City, Inspur Information, GEOVIS, Zhongke Zidong Taichu, Ant Digital Technology, China Tower Beijing Branch, China Mobile Beijing Branch, China Telecom Beijing Branch, Yuehao Company, Jinfeng Technology, Zhongguancun Digital Economic Industry Alliance, Beijing Software and Information Service Industry Association (BSIA), Huazhi Education, Daoda Tianji, Aibee Intelligent, and ESSENIOT Medical. The program focuses on three key dimensions: co-creating converged application scenarios, jointly nurturing a thriving innovation ecosystem, and strengthening the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, joining hands to chart the future landscape of smart city building under the “Digital Intelligence Unleashing a New Era”.
Ai Cheng, Founder of “iAsk” and National March 8th RedBanner Holder, served as the moderator of this forum.
