A Global AI Innovation Hub—Shanghai’s Path to Empowering Cyber Power-Building

As the global wave of digitalization sweeps across the world, the building of a cyber power faces major challenges such as “bottleneck” core technologies and cybersecurity threats. Artificial intelligence, as a new generation of information technology, deeply integrates into all dimensions of cyber power-building, playing an irreplaceable core role in breaking through technological blockades and strengthening the cybersecurity defense line. In this important historical process, in order to implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on the development of artificial intelligence, Shanghai Municipality and Shanghai Jiao Tong University jointly established the first new-type R&D institution in the field of artificial intelligence at the municipal level—the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as the “Institute”).

在全球数字化浪潮的席卷下，网络强国建设面临核心技术“卡脖子”、网络安全威胁等重大挑战。人工智能作为新一代信息技术，深度融入网络强国建设的各个维度，对突破技术封锁、筑牢网络安全防线发挥着不可替代的核心作用。在这一重要历史进程中，为贯彻落实习近平总书记关于人工智能发展的重要论述，上海市与上海交通大学联合共建首个市级人工智能领域的新型研发机构——上海人工智能研究院（简称“研究院”）。

Based in the Dalinghaowan Science and Innovation Source Function Zone[1]1 Dalinghaowan Science and Innovation Source Function Zone: A cluster of high-tech enterprises and research institutions located in the Minhang District of Shanghai, centered around the “Dalinghao Bay” area near Shanghai Jiao Tong University., the Institute adheres to being oriented toward the world’s scientific and technological frontiers, the main economic battlefield, and the nation’s major needs, building a full-chain, multi-disciplinary, and cross-disciplinary artificial intelligence innovation force. It establishes a strategic, forward-looking, professional, market-oriented, and internationalized science and technology enterprise cultivation and incubation system and innovation development paradigm of “think tank policy guidance, university innovation sourcing, industry expert leadership, engineering team implementation, and industry-finance ecological linkage.”

研究院立足大零号湾科创策源功能区，坚持面向世界科技前沿、经济主战场、国家重大需求，构建全链条、多学科、广交叉的人工智能创新力量。建立“智库政策引领、高校创新策源、产业专家领军、工程团队落地、产融生态链接”的具有战略性、前瞻性，专业化、市场化、国际化的科技企业培育孵化体系与创新发展范式。

I. Strengthening the Core Technology Base of a Cyber Power

一、筑牢网络强国核心技术底座

(1) Multi-domain Collaborative Innovation, Expanding the Boundaries of the Technological Frontier

（一）多领域协同创新，拓展技术前沿边界

In the frontier exploration of the field of artificial intelligence and the tackling of “bottleneck” technologies, the Institute organically connects the talent chain, innovation chain, and industrial chain with an open concept, achieving a virtuous cycle of mutual benefit between enterprises and universities. Relying on the strong backing of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, it continuously conducts key technology breakthroughs and frontier explorations in the field of artificial intelligence, with in-depth research in frontier areas such as humanoid robots, virtual power plants, DNA storage, intelligent bionic vision, all-solid-state batteries, and AIGC[2]2 AIGC: Artificial Intelligence Generated Content, referring to content such as text, images, audio, and video automatically generated by artificial intelligence models. network governance.

在人工智能领域的前沿探索和“卡脖子”技术攻关方面，研究院以开放理念将人才链、创新链、产业链有机贯通，实现了企业与高校相互增益的良性循环。依托上海交通大学的强大后盾，持续开展人工智能领域的关键技术突破和前沿探索，在人形机器人、虚拟电厂、DNA存储、智能仿生视觉、全固态电池、AIGC网络治理等前沿领域有着深入研究。

Through interdisciplinary cross-cutting to expand the boundaries of the field, it continuously explores the application and regulatory issues of generative artificial intelligence in networks, studies the regulatory schemes of multiple governments around the world, and examines the impact of generative AI on production and life from the perspectives of industry and human-AI collaboration.

通过学科交叉扩展领域边界，不断探索生成式人工智能在网络方面的应用和监管问题，研究全球多个政府的监管方案，从行业角度、与人协同角度等方面研究生成式AI对生产生活的影响。

The project co-participated in by the Institute, “Common Technologies and Applications for Visual Understanding in the Intelligent Governance of Society,” won the 2024 World Internet Conference Leading Scientific and Technological Award. As the lead unit of the CCIA[3]3 CCIA: China Computer Industry Association, a national-level industry association under China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. AI Software and Hardware Ecosystem Integration Working Group, through deep integration of interdisciplinary knowledge and technological resources, it continues to broaden the boundaries of AI technology, breeding a continuous source of technological innovation sparks for cyber power-building and igniting the prairie fire of network technology transformation.

由研究院参研的项目“社会治理智能化的视觉理解共性技术及应用”荣获2024年世界互联网大会领先科技奖。作为CCIA人工智能软硬件生态融合工作组组长单位，通过深度整合跨学科知识与技术资源，持续拓宽AI技术边界，为网络强国建设孕育出源源不断的技术创新火种，点燃网络技术变革的燎原之势。

(2) Results Transformation Ecosystem Empowerment, Driving Industrial Innovation and Upgrading

（二）成果转化生态赋能，驱动产业创新升级

The Institute is precisely positioned as a key hub for technology achievement transformation. It deeply integrates the talent chain, innovation chain, and industrial chain, meticulously creating a full-chain, high-efficiency industrial ecosystem. It has successfully cultivated and incubated more than 20 technology enterprises, which are making strong efforts at various key nodes of AI-empowered cyber power-building. Among them, 70% of the enterprises have received fund support, 15% have entered the unicorn or quasi-unicorn ranks, and the total valuation of incubated enterprises exceeds 20 billion yuan, demonstrating the Institute’s outstanding capability in results transformation, injecting economic momentum and innovation vitality into cyber power-building, stabilizing the industrial foundation, and enhancing core competitiveness.

研究院精准定位为技术成果转化的关键枢纽，深度融合人才链、创新链与产业链，匠心打造全链条、高效能的产业生态。成功培育孵化20余家科技企业，这些企业在AI赋能网络强国的各个关键节点强势发力。其中70%企业已获得基金支持，15%已跻身独角兽或准独角兽行列，孵化企业总估值超200亿元，彰显研究院卓越的成果转化实力，为网络强国建设注入经济动能与创新活力，稳固产业根基，提升核心竞争力。

II. Cultivating an Innovation Ecosystem for a Cyber Power

二、培育网络强国创新生态系统

(1) Deep Integration of Industry, Academia, Research, and Application, Stimulating Endogenous Innovation Momentum

（一）产学研用深度融合，激发创新内生动力

The Institute has cooperated with relevant units to release multiple cybersecurity-related professional reports such as the “Sampling Survey Report on the Online Literature Platform Ecosystem,” “Research Report on the Phenomenon of Non-standard Online Characters and Words,” and “Sampling Survey Report on the Content Ecosystem of Mobile Phone Browsers,” providing think tank opinions for regulating online behavioral security. The Institute has joined hands with giants such as Huawei and SenseTime, focusing on core technologies such as domestic computing power, deep learning frameworks, and AI-native operating systems, establishing the Shanghai Ascend Innovation Center, promoting the development of domestic AI-native operating systems and technologies, injecting powerful momentum of artificial intelligence into enterprises, cultivating the innovation ecological soil for cyber power-building, and enhancing the security and vitality of the ecosystem.

研究院与相关单位合作，发布了《网络文学平台生态抽样调查报告》《网络不规范用字用词现象研究报告》《手机浏览器内容生态抽样调查报告》等多份网络安全相关专业报告，为规范网络行为安全提供智库意见。研究院与华为、商汤等巨头携手，聚焦国产算力、深度学习框架、AI原生操作系统等核心技术，成立上海昇思创新中心，推动国产AI原生操作系统与技术发展，为企业注入人工智能澎湃动力，培育网络强国建设的创新生态土壤，提升生态系统的安全与活力。

(2) Walking with the World, Building an International Cooperation “Circle of Friends”

（二）与全球同行，共建国际合作“朋友圈”

At the opening ceremony of the 2024 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, the UNIDO Global Industrial AI Alliance Center of Excellence (hereinafter referred to as the “Global AI Center of Excellence”) was officially inaugurated and settled in the Institute, marking that Shanghai has gained a new “AI main force” on the road to becoming a globally influential science and innovation center.

2024年世界人工智能大会开幕式上，联合国工业发展组织（UNIDO）全球工业人工智能联盟卓越中心（简称“全球AI卓越中心”）正式揭牌并落地研究院，标志着上海在迈向具有全球影响力的科创中心的道路上，迎来了新的“AI主力军”。

Relying on Shanghai’s advantageous scientific and innovation resources and industrial chain advantages, the Global AI Center of Excellence will be built into an important hub and source of innovation in the global artificial intelligence field. It continuously expands the “circle of friends” of international cooperation partners, joining hands with top institutions from Singapore, Kazakhstan, Brazil, India, Serbia, Chile, Romania and other countries and regions to jointly address challenges in the field of artificial intelligence, promoting the deep integration of cyber power-building into the global innovation ecological network, leading the global trend of coordinated innovation in the network and artificial intelligence fields, and comprehensively enhancing China’s discourse power and influence in the field of global artificial intelligence integration innovation.

全球AI卓越中心依托上海的优势科创资源和产业链优势，将建设成为全球人工智能领域的重要枢纽和策源地。不断拓宽国际合作伙伴“朋友圈”，与新加坡、哈萨克斯坦、巴西、印度、塞尔维亚、智利、罗马尼亚等国家和地区的顶尖机构携手，共同应对人工智能领域的挑战，推动网络强国建设深度融入全球创新生态网络，引领全球网络与人工智能协同创新发展潮流，全面提升我国在全球人工智能融合创新领域的话语权与影响力。

III. Consolidating the Talent Strategy Pillar for a Cyber Power

三、夯实网络强国人才战略支柱

(1) Nurturing Local Talent, Strengthening the Foundation, Shaping the Industrial Talent Echelon

（一）本土人才精育强基，塑造产业人才梯队

To develop new quality productive forces, “strategic talents who can create new quality productive forces” are needed. With a forward-looking perspective and innovative strategies, the Institute has jointly launched an AI talent development plan with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and cooperated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University to initiate China’s first AIMBA[4]4 AIMBA: A specialized MBA program integrating artificial intelligence and business administration, first offered by Shanghai Jiao Tong University., cultivating a batch of AI industry chain talents and business talents, aiming to build a high-quality talent system that leads industrial innovation, creating a solid local talent base for cyber power-building, ensuring a stable and smooth talent supply chain, and driving independent innovation and sustainable development of core technologies.

发展新质生产力，需要“能够创造新质生产力的战略人才”。研究院以前瞻的视角和创新的策略，与工信部共同发起人工智能人才发展计划，与上海交通大学开创国内首个AIMBA，培养了一批人工智能产业链人才与商业人才，旨在打造一个引领产业创新的高素质人才体系，为网络强国建设打造坚实本土人才基座，保障人才供应链稳定畅通，驱动核心技术自主创新与可持续发展。

(2) International Talent Cooperation and Excellence Cultivation, Building a Global Talent Alliance

（二）国际人才合作培优，构筑全球人才联盟

Adhering to the international talent strategy concept of “all rivers run into the sea,” the Institute actively implements the national “AI Capacity Building Universal Benefit Plan,” relying on the Global AI Center of Excellence, successively establishing close cooperation mechanisms and overseas platforms with the United Nations University, Yale University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Macau University of Science and Technology, the National University of Singapore, and Nanyang Technological University, aiming to cultivate global AI talents. By weaving a global AI talent network, it strengthens China’s influence in the international talent market, broadly attracting global talents for cyber power-building, leading the cyber power-building to move forward steadily and innovate globally under the support of global talent intelligence.

秉持海纳百川的国际人才战略理念，研究院积极落实国家提出的“人工智能能力建设普惠计划”，依托全球AI卓越中心，相继与联合国大学、耶鲁大学、香港科技大学、澳门科技大学、新加坡国立大学、南洋理工大学等建立紧密的合作机制与海外平台，旨在培养全球化AI领域人才。通过编织全球人工智能人才网络，强化我国在国际人才市场影响力，为网络强国建设广纳全球贤才，引领网络强国建设在全球人才智力支撑下稳健前行、创新发展。

With “innovation” as the core and “high quality” as the key, new quality productive forces are accelerating their formation at the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute. Relying on the integrated development of AI frontier technologies, disruptive technologies, computing power and network infrastructure, and integrating new fields and new tracks such as AI vertical large models[5]5 AI vertical large models: AI large language models (or foundation models) designed specifically for particular industries or vertical domains, as opposed to general-purpose models. and general-purpose robots, it continuously shapes new development momentum and new advantages, promoting industrial innovation and development in the process of solving “real problems,” and forging a unique path for AI-empowered cyber power-building.

以“创新”为核心、以“质优”为关键的新质生产力正在上海人工智能研究院加速形成，依托AI前沿技术、颠覆性技术与算力及网络基础设施的融合发展，集成AI垂类大模型、通用机器人等新领域、新赛道，不断塑造发展新动能和新优势，在“真问题”的求解中推动产业创新发展，走出了AI赋能网络强国建设的独特路径。

(The author is Dean of the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

（作者为上海交通大学上海人工智能研究院院长）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧