2026 WAIC: From AI Glasses to Smartphones, Over 300 Products Debut Globally with 9 Turing Award Winners Speaking

The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) is about to open grandly in Shanghai, showcasing a critical turning point from technological development to deep application deployment.

The conference, co-hosted with the Global High-Level Forum on AI Governance, will take place from July 17 to 20, adopting a 'Three Locations, Four Halls' layout across the Expo Center, Expo Exhibition Hall, Zhangjiang Science Hall, and Xuhui International Convention Center.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the opening ceremony and deliver a keynote speech, highlighting the central role of artificial intelligence in China's national strategy and global governance.

This year's theme is 'Intelligent Partners, Co-Creating the Future.' The event has set new records in scale—exhibition space exceeding 100,000 square meters, over 1,100 participating companies, and more than 3,000 exhibits. Additionally, over 140 forums have been organized, inviting over 1,400 domestic and international guests, including Turing and Nobel laureates, to discuss topics such as 'AI for Science' (AI4S) and AI governance.

Compared to WAIC 2025, which focused on 'the question of models,' the 2026 edition marks AI's official entry into the critical phase of application deployment. Exhibits are no longer limited to cloud-based large models but are deeply embedded in hardware terminals and real-world business processes.

On the consumer side, the world's first AI Agent smartphone (Nubia) will make its public debut, signaling a shift in smartphone competition from feature stacking to 'native agents'—devices that proactively understand user needs and execute cross-app tasks.

Meanwhile, the first AI memory glasses and Jieyue Star's Agent operating system demonstrate how AI is becoming an 'extended brain' in daily human life.

In the field of embodied intelligence, Hall H3 at the Expo Exhibition Center will showcase over 200 embodied intelligent terminals. The focus has shifted from simple robot performances to real-world deployment scenarios, exploring how robots can enter factories, warehouses, and elderly care institutions to perform specific tasks such as sorting and inspection.

Amid global technological competition, this year's conference highlights China's determination to build an independent AI ecosystem. Huawei will display the industry's largest-scale ultra-node Atlas 950 prototype, a system capable of supporting up to 8,192 Ascend 950 chips in high-speed direct connection, providing solid support for training domestic large models. Additionally, Shanghai Oriental Computing Core will debut its 3D near-memory computing chip.

The Zhangjiang area, as the 'core of technology,' will focus on showcasing large-scale computing chips and domestic GPU clusters, demonstrating China's AI industry leap from catching up to partial leadership.

WAIC 2026 also serves as a top-tier dialogue platform for global policymakers and academia. The conference has invited over 1,400 domestic and international guests, including nine Turing and Nobel laureates, to discuss AI governance, AI safety, and AI for Science (AI4S).

On the governance front, the conference will advance the establishment of the 'World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO)' and promote the implementation of the 'Global AI Governance Initiative' through multilateral dialogue. It aims to convey China's values of 'inclusive intelligence and collaborative governance' and advocate for developing countries in the international rule system.