Digital intelligence innovation competition for SMEs wraps up in Yulin, SW China's Guangxi

A digital intelligence innovation application competition for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) concluded with its final project roadshow in Yulin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Oct. 22.

Launched in August, the competition featured three tracks focused on digital intelligence transformation: single-solution, comprehensive-solution, and digital transformation case studies.

The event attracted 677 teams that submitted projects for innovative applications in fields including intelligent manufacturing, smart health care, smart agriculture, smart logistics, and energy and environmental protection.

After rigorous online screening and preliminary-round roadshows, 30 projects advanced to the finals. The finalists included seven national high-tech enterprises, five enterprises that use special and sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products, one unicorn company, and one publicly listed company.

Fifteen of the 30 finalists received awards, with their projects covering applications including fresh produce harvesting robots, artificial intelligence-driven full-cycle health management for patients, end-to-end traceability for pig farming, and AI-enabled immersive dining experiences.

These projects stood out for being technologically advanced, highly applicable, and having a strong industrial impact while aligning closely with local and regional industrial upgrade needs in Yulin and Guangxi, according to credible sources.

The event was jointly hosted by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Yulin Municipal Committee, the Yulin Municipal People's Government, and Guangxi's Big Data Development Bureau and Department of Industry and Information Technology.

Beyond identifying promising digital intelligence innovation projects, the competition fostered consensus among governments, enterprises, universities and research institutions. It established a mechanism that integrates competition, application scenarios, implementation and ecosystem development to advance digital intelligence transformation.

The event is expected to support Yulin's efforts to become a national pilot city for SME digital intelligence transformation.