At Lens Technology's intelligent factory for high-end automotive display components in Hunan's Changsha Economic Development Zone, high-precision AI vision inspection systems operate precisely, instantly identifying minute surface defects on products. "Our self-developed six-axis robots and AOI inspection systems have reduced the defect misjudgment rate from 30% to 2%, and the missed inspection rate from 2% to 1%," stated Chen Yunhua, the company's Vice General Manager, with confidence.
In 2021, the zone pioneered a "project unveiling" mechanism for smart manufacturing, spurring the implementation of numerous new technology applications involving artificial intelligence and industrial internet. Platforms like Sany's "Intelligent Manufacturing Brain," CRRC's digital twin intelligent decision-making system, and Bosch Changsha's AI industrial robot collaboration system exemplify the growing integration of AI into industrial scenarios across the zone, covering all aspects of production from R&D and design to manufacturing and operations management.
"Initially, many companies recognized AI's importance but were unsure how to proceed," noted a relevant official from the zone's Economic Development Bureau. To address this, specialized "digital diagnosis" teams were organized to provide on-site, tailored transformation plans, helping businesses embrace the AI wave.
The zone has issued a series of supportive policies, including construction guidelines for AI application scenarios, an action plan for "AI + Manufacturing," and measures to promote innovation in "AI + Robotics." In recent years, foundational support within the AI industry chain—encompassing chips, computing power, and data—has been rapidly developing in the zone. At the technological level, specialized vertical models and intelligent agents continue to emerge, signaling a profound qualitative transformation where AI is becoming industrialized and industry is becoming AI-driven.
Entrepreneurs are keenly feeling this shift. "Artificial intelligence is no longer just a tool but a productive force that has fundamentally lowered barriers to entrepreneurship," said Liu Feixiang, Director of Hunan University's Future Industry Research Center and Chairman of the Technology and Strategy Committee of Liushen Technology (Hunan) Co., Ltd. Liu plans to embark on his third entrepreneurial venture within the Changsha zone, aiming to build another multi-sector enterprise with revenues reaching tens of billions.
Market confidence stems from the zone's steadfast strategy: deepening application scenarios and letting the market and enterprises lead. By the end of 2025, the zone had accumulated 75 national-level and 360 provincial-level demonstration projects in AI-related fields, including six top-tier smart factories accounting for 40% of the provincial total.
The area is now attracting more high-level platforms. Public service institutions such as the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology Central South Research Institute, the Hunan Embodied Intelligence Innovation Center, and the Central South University AI Industrial Base have commenced operations, while the Qian Xuesen Industrial Innovation Center from Xi'an Jiaotong University and Hunan University's Future Industry Innovation Center are accelerating their establishment.
The outline for the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes to "fully implement the 'AI+' initiative" and "seize the high ground in AI industrial applications." From strengthening foundational development to constructing an industrial ecosystem, Changsha Economic Development Zone is advancing deeper systemic planning, continuously exploring the mutually reinforcing path of industrial AI-ization and AI industrialization, injecting robust momentum into Hunan's goal of building a nationally significant advanced manufacturing hub.