GUI tech hub, university help drive AI development in Hefei

An exterior view of the GUI tech hub in Hefei. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_da57a4eb9d4e]

The Grand Union of Innovation, or GUI – an innovation service platform based in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province – has joined forces with a local university to drive forwards the development of artificial intelligence, or AI in the city.

AI was firmly in focus at a recent event organized by the GUI, called the third session of Future Sci-tech Vision.

It featured a discussion between Zhang Xiaodong, president of the Wuzhen Institute and Professor Weng Qingxiong from the Business School of SciTech at the University of Science and Technology of China, or USTC – which is based in Hefei – focusing on the rapid development of AI.

Zhang highlighted the remarkable progress in AI development, noting that several Chinese teams had excelled in developing original large-scale models.

He said the pace of AI development was accelerating and the widespread availability of AI infrastructure would create more employment opportunities and expand new product directions.

The USTC is said to serve as a talent pool for Hefei and the GUI, exporting both human resources and research achievements. The GUI also facilitates the promulgation of the R&D achievements.

What's more, the GUI is widely reputed to play a pivotal role in fostering the development of the alumni economy, attracting both listed companies and startups in recent years. Zhang added that the GUI's innovative ecosystem facilitated the seamless interaction between education, research, talent, and industry.

In the broader context, Hefei has been developing the artificial intelligence industry in the past two years, nurturing industry-leading enterprises such as iFlytek. Moreover, the AI industry supply chain has been continuously improving.

In this process, the GUI has also been continuously driving forwards the development – facilitating better interactive utilization of industrial system data through effective industrial models.