The ninth China-Eurasia Expo, held recently in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, highlighted significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and drone technology, underscoring the region’s growing role as a hub for innovation and cross-border economic cooperation.

For the first time, the expo featured a dedicated zone emphasizing new productive forces, including breakthrough developments in AI, the digital economy, and the low-altitude economy. Demonstrations included laser-assisted robots designed to enhance cotton planting efficiency, intelligent aerospace systems for ecological conservation, and various forms of advanced robotic equipment.

Xinjiang leveraged the event to showcase its efforts in integrating AI with industrial, technological, and trade sectors. The expo serves as a national platform, connecting domestic and international resources, industry specialties, and markets. This integration supports Xinjiang’s ongoing opening-up policies and creates opportunities for global stakeholders in the AI field.

The region’s progress was evident across multiple dimensions, such as data center expansion, smart agricultural initiatives, and smart city construction in key urban areas including Urumqi and Karamay. Xinjiang’s abundant renewable energy resources are fueling new developments that aim to reshape global computing infrastructure.

Karamay-based companies displayed over 170 exhibits spanning oil and gas chemicals, new energy, digital computing, advanced materials, and cultural industries. While traditional oil and gas sectors remain foundational, the region is making strides in digital and green technologies, highlighted by innovations like energy storage solutions, industrial drones, and intelligent management systems aligned with China’s national “East Data, West Computing” strategy.

Hami, a strategic city along the Silk Road Economic Belt, presented a diverse portfolio of advancements including modern coal chemical engineering, titanium-magnesium materials, hydrogen energy, and modern logistics. The city functions as a crucial data transmission hub, hosting cross-border fiber-optic exit points for China’s major telecom operators and playing a central role in the national integrated computing power network. Local officials emphasized the city’s goal of enhancing its computing resources to drive domestic development and regional cooperation with Belt and Road Initiative countries.

Under the national “East Data, West Computing” framework, Xinjiang is developing four major computing clusters located in Urumqi, the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Karamay, and Hami, collectively reaching nearly 30,000 petaflops of intelligent computing capacity. The region’s upgraded cross-border communication infrastructure features 28 optical cables connecting Central and West Asia, with total bandwidth capacity exceeding 4,600 gigabits per second. This network supports cross-border computing coordination, technology sharing, and digital service exports.

A notable addition this year was the independent exhibition area dedicated to the low-altitude economy, showcasing various ton-scale industrial drones. United Aircraft, a leading domestic company, exhibited five drone series designed for applications such as large-scale delivery, plateau emergency rescue, infrastructure inspection, smart agriculture, and medical supply transport to remote regions. The firm outlined plans to establish a comprehensive low-altitude operational network in Xinjiang, targeting expansion into Central Asia and beyond.

The expo also advanced a new cooperation framework between United Aircraft and Xinjiang Airport Group. This partnership aims to build full-coverage low-altitude operation capabilities across Xinjiang, develop equipment technology centers, and create service platforms focused on the Central Asian market. Leveraging Xinjiang’s position as China’s western gateway, the collaboration seeks to export China’s mature low-altitude industry model throughout Eurasia.

In the field of synthetic biology, companies from Wusu—Xinjiang Guanghe Green Energy Biotechnology and Cathay (Wusu) Biomaterial—displayed their achievements in microbial protein research and industrial applications. Xinjiang Guanghe, a subsidiary of Beijing-based Guanghe Green Energy Biotechnology, established operations in Wusu in 2025. Cathay (Wusu) Biomaterial, a regular participant in the expo, announced new cooperative agreements this year, reflecting ongoing momentum in fostering innovative productive forces within the region.