Ti Gong

More than 20 artificial intelligence projects with a total investment exceeding 5 billion yuan (US$725 million) have been signed in Pudong.

They cover areas such as biomedicine, IoT (Internet of Things), smart chips, smart applications and robots. Specifically, they include vascular interventional surgery robot, digital entertainment experiences in metaverse-themed park and intelligent vehicle infrastructure cooperative systems.

Notably, domestic AI firm DP Technology plans to build a globally-influential innovative drug industrialization base in its Shanghai R&D center.

It will focus on AI technologies to discover new drugs faster and more efficiently, said Fan Mengqi, vice president of the pharmaceutical business group of DP Technology.

“In early drug R&D, AI can help screen 1,000 to 2,000 molecules and identify promising compounds in just one to two days, while traditional ways cost about one year,” Fan said.

In 2019, Pudong was appointed as the country’s first pilot zone for the innovation and application of AI. Over three years, breakthroughs in chips, robots, self-driving vehicles and more have emerged.

“Next we will focus on metaverse and intelligent terminal,” said Xia Yuzhong, deputy director of Pudong Science Technology and Economy Commission.