The 2026 Artificial Intelligence Industry Conference takes place in Jinan, Shandong, from Oct 14 to 16. [Photo/Dazhong Daily]

As AI transforms global manufacturing, East China's Shandong province is positioning itself at the center of the shift by hosting the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Industry Conference in Jinan.

The 2026 Artificial Intelligence Industry Conference will be held in Jinan, capital of Shandong, from Oct 14 to 16, marking the first time the annual event has moved outside Beijing.

More than 300 leading enterprises will participate, including Huawei, Inspur, iFlytek, Nvidia, Unitree, and UBTech. Notably, major manufacturing giants such as Haier, BYD, and Weiqiao Pioneering Group will also attend, signaling the conference's focus on connecting AI technology to real industrial scenarios.

Shandong's appeal lies in its unique industrial foundation. The province ranks first nationwide in data management maturity certification, with 2,522 enterprises certified. It has achieved full coverage of 31 major manufacturing categories for its industrial corpus, a critical resource for large vertical models. A total of 266 large model products have passed third-party evaluation, with 20 projects selected as national typical application cases.

To support AI development, Shandong has introduced a combination of policy tools including "model vouchers," "corpus vouchers," "computing power vouchers," and "scenario vouchers," alongside dedicated industry funds.

The conference will feature dedicated zones for embodied intelligence and AI plus manufacturing, addressing Shandong's need for intelligent transformation in its manufacturing, port, and energy sectors. By bringing together AI solution providers and industrial buyers, the event aims to accelerate the deep integration of AI with the real economy.