An "AI + Manufacturing" special session under Zhejiang Province's "Ten Chains, Hundred Venues, Thousand Enterprises" series of matchmaking events was held in Hangzhou on August 25, bringing together AI service providers and manufacturing companies for face-to-face discussions to drive deep integration of artificial intelligence with the manufacturing sector.
As AI accelerates its shift from technological breakthroughs to industrial applications, new technologies such as industrial large models, robotics, and digital twins are fundamentally reshaping R&D, production, management, and service models. The event, organized by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology, aims to build platforms, unblock supply chains, and pool resources to facilitate precise matching between supply and demand.
Zhejiang is currently advancing AI from single-point applications to systematic implementation. Take Shaoxing Keqiao, a renowned modern textile industry base, as an example. The region has been steadily promoting intelligent transformation of its industrial sector, with a batch of smart workshops and industrial internet platforms established, and multiple AI application products now delivering tangible results on production lines. Keqiao District has also been selected as one of Zhejiang's first pilot zones for AI-empowered manufacturing.
Zhejiang Yinan Printing and Dyeing Co., Ltd. serves as a typical case of Keqiao's industrial transformation. Over the past four decades, the company has continuously upgraded its production lines with digital and intelligent equipment, evolving from traditional printing to digital printing, with products now reaching major domestic fashion weeks and overseas brand supply chains. According to Ye Yong, the company's deputy general manager, the factory has already implemented AI-powered online printing inspection and AI-based pattern design applications. "With years of production data accumulated, we plan to further explore applications in HR management and production scheduling, expanding into more AI use cases," he said.
Across Zhejiang Province, upstream and downstream segments of the textile industry are rapidly embracing AI. For instance, Jack Technology Co., Ltd., which specializes in R&D and manufacturing of intelligent sewing equipment, is now transitioning toward integrated software and hardware development. The company is also fully responding to the AI wave by deepening its transformation, with plans to release humanoid robots and a series of AI equipment for the sewing industry this October.
"People are the core challenge in manufacturing transformation," said Lu Ming'an, a product manager for the company's sewing machines. He noted that the textile industry is labor-intensive, with many workers traditionally engaged in simple, repetitive tasks. Intelligent transformation can create better work experiences for laborers and help attract and retain young industrial talent.
Multiple achievements were unveiled at the event. The operating entities of national AI application pilot bases—one focused on embodied intelligence in the consumer sector and another on petrochemicals in manufacturing—signed pilot cooperation agreements with the Keqiao District People's Government and the National Data Development Research Institute respectively, aiming to jointly bridge the "last mile" from laboratory research to production lines.
Additionally, Zhejiang's "AI + Manufacturing" scenario mechanisms, demand lists, and the second batch of benchmark scenarios were released to clarify enterprise transformation needs and enable mature applications to be promoted for wider adoption. A national AI application pilot base "open competition" project was also announced, publicly soliciting solutions to common industry technical challenges, with a joint research model designed to reduce the costs and trial-and-error risks of individual enterprise R&D.