(Yicai) Nov. 9 -- While the focus of artificial intelligence firms at last year’s China International Import Expo was the metaverse, for this year’s edition, they have brought their latest achievements in developing smart cockpits and AI models.

Unity Software, a US video games engine developer, dedicated most of its booth at the CIIE to its automotive business products, including some debuts.

Unity started with video game engine development, which is its main business, but also began focusing on developing smart car technologies, which is now the company’s second key business, Unity China’s Chief Executive Officer Zhang Junbo told Yicai.

“The three-dimensional experience of the intelligent cockpit needs us, an engine company, to make the engine more suitable for the configuration of the car and continuously enrich the content displayed on the car,” Zhang said, adding that this requires two-way cooperation between Unity and car manufacturers, which will provide a large market.

China’s three major smart car startups -- Xpeng Motors, Li Auto, and Nio -- use Unity’s smart cockpit technology on their new mass-produced models, Zhang noted.

Other tech companies also seized the opportunities from the smart cockpit business. Samsung Semiconductor brought its processor V920 to the CIIE. Micron Technology, a US semiconductor giant that participated in the CIIE for the first time this year, displayed a variety of automotive-grade memory chips. Intel, Qualcomm, and Advanced Micro Devices also showcased their intelligent cockpit platform solutions.

It is not difficult to see that entertainment has become an important direction for the current application of intelligent cockpits. In this regard, Qualcomm told Yicai that because intelligent cockpits are seen as a third living space in addition to homes and offices, entertainment is one of their important functions.

Despite the main focus of AI companies at the CIIE moving to smart cockpits, many firms also brought large language models and metaverse products to this year’s CIIE.

In the AI Experience Zone, Intel and Linctex Digital Technology brought an AI model that applies AI-generated content to the field of fashion design. Visitors can enter keywords, such as clothing style, color, and material, and the AI model designs the virtual piece of clothing in only 20 seconds.

In the past, fashion designers needed to spend a lot of time drawing and designing clothes, but this AI model can quickly generate hundreds of drawings for designers to choose from, improving their work efficiency, according to Intel engineers at the CIIE.

Although the metaverse hype is dying out, there are still many related experiences on display at the CIIE, including a virtual reality program allowing visitors to ‘walk on the moon,’ Meta’s Quest3 headset for virtual conference rooms, and outdoor cycling and golf simulators with Unity’s extended reality technology.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione