Summit bridges Anhui, GBA for innovation cooperation in embodied intelligence

The Summit on Embodied Intelligence Industry in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) was held on July 8 in Shenzhen, the forefront of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, gathering over 200 representatives from government departments, research institutions, industrial enterprises, and investment firms.

The event was organized by GUiTEK, GUi Technology Managers Office, and Hefei Scenario Application Innovation Promotion Center, all based in Hefei in East China's Anhui province.

Participants focused their discussion on the frontiers of embodied intelligence technology, its industrial applications, and ecosystem development.

Anhui boasts a strong manufacturing base and a rich pool of innovative talent, while the GBA is a hub for capital and industrial resources with a global innovation perspective. This summit exemplified cross-regional collaboration, with both sides breaking geographical boundaries and drawing on their respective strengths to promote cooperation in the field of innovation.

Hefei, in particular, is incorporating embodied intelligence into its overall industrial system as one of the four key future industries for development. The city is home to more than 190 enterprises across the industrial chain, including 16 national-level specialized and innovative enterprises, forming a complete ecosystem that encompasses manufacturing, core component research and development, software algorithms, system integration, and public services.

Hefei has established 42 R&D platforms, including the Humanoid Robotics Research Institute of the University of Science and Technology of China and Institute of Embodied Intelligence at Anhui University, with seven of them at the national level.

An 18,700-square-meter intelligent robotics public service platform is being built, integrating technology, standards, scenarios, and ecosystems. This platform aims to develop five major public service areas - component production and processing, scenario training, product testing, competitive events, and AI+ scenario demonstration.

During the summit, an official from the Anhui Provincial Government's Guangzhou Office highlighted the strong complementarities between Anhui and the GBA in industrial development, emphasizing the vast potential for collaboration. The summit was seen as a key opportunity to deepen innovation exchanges and connect Anhui's innovation projects with the GBA's capital and markets.

The 2026 Global Science and Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition organized by GUiTEK was promoted at the summit, inviting innovative projects and teams to participate, including in embodied intelligence.

A representative from Hefei Scenario Application Innovation Promotion Center unveiled a list of scenario application opportunities for State-owned enterprises in Anhui, inviting enterprises to match their technologies with real industry needs in Anhui. This list covers emerging fields such as embodied intelligence, artificial intelligence, and new energy, attracting many Shenzhen-based innovative companies to engage in on-site discussions and negotiations.

GUiTEK and the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub Fund signed a strategic partnership agreement to explore cutting-edge projects and enhance the alignment of capital and technology.

The summit came on the heels of GUiTEK's efforts to extend its reach to Beijing, Hong Kong and other regions for collaboration, signaling its continued efforts to expand both nationally and globally to foster a network that facilitates seamless technology transfer and innovation collaboration.