Shares of WENGE AI (01956) have risen more than 5%. At the time of writing, the stock is up 5.51% to HK$83.3, with a turnover of HK$4.0949 million.

The increase follows news of a strategic cooperation agreement. The company has signed a pact with the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, focusing on integrating artificial intelligence with agricultural research.

The collaboration is designed to address major national technological needs concerning food security and seed industry innovation. It will use rice breeding scenarios as a starting point, with joint efforts concentrated in several key areas. These include scientific data governance, domain knowledge engineering, foundational scientific models, intelligent decision-making platforms, and the application and commercialization of research outcomes.

The goal is to advance AI for Science capabilities into frontline agricultural research and accelerate the practical application of artificial intelligence within hybrid rice research systems.

As part of this initiative, WENGE AI will leverage its ScienceOne foundational large model as a core capability base. This will be integrated with its intelligent decision-making framework to tackle specific challenges in rice breeding. These challenges include complex data, lengthy cycles, numerous variables, and high reliance on empirical experience.

The technology is expected to provide intelligent support for various scientific tasks. These tasks encompass analyzing gene-trait relationships, predicting key gene functions, evaluating and screening breeding materials, and designing parental combinations. The overall aim is to assist in upgrading rice breeding research from a traditional experience-driven approach to a model driven by the synergy of data, knowledge, and advanced models.