On Nov 10, 2023, the Awards Ceremony of the 2023 "Straight to Wuzhen" Global Internet Competition was successfully held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang. The "Straight to Wuzhen" Global Internet Competition, one of the important events of the World Internet Conference (WIC), is hosted by the WIC and the People's Government of Zhejiang Province, organized by the Economy and Information Technology Department of Zhejiang Province, the Cyberspace Administration of Zhejiang Province, the Department of Science and Technology of Zhejiang Province, the Jiaxing Municipal People's Government and the Tongxiang Municipal People's Government, and supported by UNIDO ITPO Beijing. It's committed to promoting global internet cooperation and innovation, stimulating the vitality of internet entrepreneurship, gathering young internet talents, and promoting precise global matchmaking of the internet industry in a high-quality manner, contributing to global internet governance and prosperity and the vigorous development of the digital economy.

Wang Song, deputy director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC, and Ke Jixin, vice governor of the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province, attended the event and delivered speeches. Wu Yabin, head of UNIDO ITPO Beijing, was also present and delivered a speech as the representative of the supporting unit, while Wu Jianping, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Steven Hoffman, the Godfather of Venture Capital in Silicon Valley, spoke as co-chairs of the competition. Haruko Yoneyama, senior adviser of the Japan Science and Technology Agency, also delivered remarks as a representative of the competition judges.

The year 2023 marks the 10th year of the WIC Wuzhen Summit, as well as the fifth year of the "Straight to Wuzhen" Global Internet Competition. This year, six prominent competition tracks have been established, namely artificial intelligence, digital healthcare, connected vehicles, industrial internet, intelligent sensing, digital ocean and aerospace. A distinct competition was organized specifically for artificial intelligence, encompassing foundation models and digital humans. A comprehensive collection of 1,005 project submissions was obtained from 23 countries and regions. Over the past five years, the event has witnessed an expansion in its scope, transitioning from a solitary comprehensive track to one with seven distinct special contests. Additionally, the number of countries actively participating in the competition has risen from 13 to 23, making the event more professional and international. The number of participating projects has significantly increased from 515 to over 1,000. From emerging start-ups to highly valued quasi-unicorns, unicorns, and even publicly traded firms, there is a noticeable enhancement in the level of participating projects. At the awards ceremony, a collective of 70 teams that had achieved recognition were present on the stage. These individuals possess leadership positions in diverse industries and domains, exemplifying the harmonious cultivation of fundamental strengths and practical implementation.

One grand prize winner was awarded in each of the seven major special contests of the competition. Hangzhou Well-healthcare Technology Co., Ltd.’s high-throughput clinical mass spectrometry diagnostic platform project based on nano-consumables and AI won the grand prize in the digital healthcare special contest. Motovis Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.’s car-grade autonomous driving domain controller R&D and industrialization project won the grand prize in the connected vehicle special contest. Beijing IKINGTEC Technology Co., Ltd.’s fully automatic aerospace integrated inspection holographic perception management and control system project won the grand prize in the digital ocean and aerospace special contest. Furthermore, the overseas project of the company, known as crystal semiconductor material data fully automatic detection industrialization, was awarded the grand prize in the industrial internet special contest. Orbbec Technology Group Co., Ltd.’s 3D vision technology empowered industry digital innovation application and practice project won the grand prize in the intelligent sensing special contest. The new generation intelligent decision-making technology system project constructed by Cardinal Operations, a subsidiary of Cardinal Operations (Beijing) Co., Ltd., was awarded the grand prize in the artificial intelligence special contest. Learnable.ai (Ningbo) Artificial Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd.’s professional large-scale model empowering of industry segmentation scenario project with accurate calculation and rigorous logic won the grand prize in the artificial intelligence (foundation model and digital human) special contest. Seven first-prize projects, 21 second-prize projects, and 35 third-prize projects were also honored at the ceremony.

The "Straight to Wuzhen" Global Internet Competition is a highlight event of the WIC Wuzhen Summit. This event aligns with the prevailing tendencies of digitization, networking and intelligentization trends in the information age. It establishes a significant platform for collaboration in internet initiatives, technology advancements, skilled workforces, and financial resources. The event aims to explore novel technologies, innovative business models, and emerging formats in the evolution of the Internet. Both the competition platform and the current award-winning projects will persist in embracing novel opportunities, expanding boundaries, and achieving higher standards in their enduring pursuits, thereby making valuable contributions toward fostering a digital world that is more inclusive, comprehensive, and resilient.