(Yicai) Aug. 7 -- Shanghai has rolled out a series of industrial development goals and economic support measures seeking to lift the scale of the local embodied intelligence industry to more than CNY50 billion (USD7 billion) by 2027.

Shanghai should host at least 100 core industrial firms by 2027, implement 100 innovative application scenarios, achieve mass production of 100 world-leading products, and make no fewer than 20 breakthroughs in developing core algorithms and technologies related to embodied models and corpora, according to a document the local government released yesterday. In addition, at least four high-quality embodied intelligence industrial incubators will be set up in the city.

Embodied intelligence is a technical paradigm that combines artificial intelligence technology with physical entities such as robots, endowing them with human-like abilities to perceive, learn, and interact with their environment. AI can understand causality and develop common sense thanks to the interaction between the physical body and its surroundings.

Shanghai will support key technology research projects in perceptual decision-making, motion control, embodied corpora, operating systems, and other areas, and back universities and research institutes in building integrated large embodied intelligence model capabilities. The government will provide up to 30 percent of the approved investment for relevant projects, with a cap of CNY50 million.

Shanghai must form a complete supply chain for the embodied intelligence sector and attract several high-quality companies to settle in the city, the document said.

In addition, Shanghai will support the ecosystem development of the embodied intelligence industry, encouraging the local aggregation of five major public service platforms covering computing power, digital twin training, pilot-scale testing, investment, and leasing. It will also help shape the local ecosystem, including open-source systems, standards and regulations, and talent cultivation, offering to cover up to 50 percent of projects' investment, with a CNY20 million ceiling.

Application scenarios are also a key focus of the document, which explores the practical application of embodied intelligence tech in various industries, including logistics assembly, industrial manufacturing, commercial retail, medical and elderly care, and household services. The city will provide up to 20 percent of the investment for innovative demonstration application projects, with a CNY10 million cap.

Shanghai Pudong New Area, a leading development zone for China's embodied intelligence industry, hosts more than 70 robotics companies, including Zhiyuan, Fourier, and Kepler Robot.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev