The 2025 Optics Valley AI+ Industry Innovation Forum convened in Wuhan East Lake High-tech Development Zone (Optics Valley of China, or OVC) on Oct 11, gathering representatives from over 100 AI enterprises and institutions. 

The event marked the launch of the "Optics Valley in Action" AI+ Industry Innovation Development Joint Initiative, aimed at accelerating the OVC's role as a pivotal hub in the global AI innovation network.

The 2025 Optics Valley AI+ Industry Innovation Forum kicks off on Oct 11. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

The initiative, which is the result of collaboration between 17 companies including FiberHome, Dameng Data, HGTECH, and Kingsoft Office, focuses on overcoming critical AI technology bottlenecks, building an open and collaborative ecosystem, and advancing AI applications in public welfare sectors.

Gao Tongqing, chairman of the Global Technology Association of InfoComm (GTI), highlighted at the forum that the AI industry is shifting away from merely increasing model parameters. Instead, inference model training is becoming a trend. By 2027, the share of inference computing power in China's smart computing is expected to rise from 41 percent in 2023 to 72.6 percent. 

Gao urged OVC to strengthen its AI foundational research and innovation, employing its strengths in optoelectronic information and intelligent manufacturing to scale up "AI+" applications.

The forum also saw the signing of the "AI+ IT Application Collaborative Innovation Cooperation Plan" where companies like Yangtze Computing, Zhidong Taichu, and Dameng Data committed to building a domestically controlled, integrated AI industry ecosystem.

OVC now boasts a comprehensive layout in AI hardware sectors such as storage chips, high-speed optical modules, and intelligent computing servers. The zone is also home to six humanoid robot manufacturers, with its innovative applications in intelligent manufacturing and smart healthcare leading nationwide.