An exhibitor high-fives a robot at the 2021 ZGC Forum held in Beijing in late September. ZHU XINGXIN/CHINA DAILY

Over 1,000 delegates, including scientists and top executives, attend ZGC gathering

A legion of new technologies and products were showcased at the ZGC Forum, an annual event that demonstrates China's commitment to innovation and international cooperation in science and technology, according to a senior official of the Beijing government.

A platform for assisting dialogue on science and technology between China and the rest of the world, the 2021 ZGC Forum was held in Beijing in late September under the theme of "intelligence, health and carbon neutrality". ZGC is an acronym for Zhongguancun, a high-tech business cluster in Beijing often referred to as China's Silicon Valley.

The forum comprised 60 events, which included conferences, exhibitions and competitions.

More than 1,000 delegates from over 50 countries and regions－including officials, scientists, entrepreneurs and representatives of international organizations－attended, according to the event's organizers.

One hundred new technologies and products were highlighted at an international technology trade fair, which was part of the ZGC Forum. They fell into the categories of next-generation information technology and integrated circuits; artificial intelligence; intelligent manufacturing; biomedicine; high-end medical devices; new energy and new materials; energy conservation and environmental protection; and high-end equipment.

Among them was China's first－and the world's largest－hyperscale pre-trained AI model known as Wudao, developed by the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence. It uses 175 trillion parameters, which makes China a leader in this field, according to organizers of the forum.

One of the new products highlighted was the Oxsight smart bionic glasses, which are the result of research that began at the University of Oxford in 2010. The glasses are designed to help people with visual impairment.

During the forum, the Center for Industrial Development and Environmental Governance of Tsinghua University and Nature Research released the 2021 Global Innovation Hubs Index.

The index measures the innovation capability of 50 cities or city clusters worldwide against 32 metrics related to science and innovation.

The top five for this year are: San Francisco-San Jose; New York; London; Beijing and Boston.

Beijing moved up the list from fifth place last year to fourth. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, consisting of nine cities in southern Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macao, entered the rankings for the first time, achieving seventh place.

The forum saw the release of a guideline on the ethics of new-generation AI and the launch of a 10 billion yuan ($1.55 billion) investment fund for science and technology sectors to support Beijing in becoming an international center for scientific and technological innovation.

Liu Yinchun, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing government, said the forum shows the Chinese government attaches great importance to scientific and technological innovation and the development of Zhongguancun.

The annual event demonstrates the Chinese government's determination to bolster international communication and cooperation in science and technology, he said.

"The delegates conducted in-depth discussions on intelligence, health and carbon neutrality, and reached consensus on a wide range of issues," Liu said. "They expressed that they would pay greater attention to intelligence, sustainability and inclusivity in the course of development, and strengthen global cooperation on innovation to restore the harmony between humans and nature."

Internationalization has been an important feature of the ZGC Forum since its establishment, according to its organizers.

The 2021 edition, attended by nearly 400 foreign participants, is dedicated to building a professional platform for communication and cooperation among governments, enterprises and research institutes around the world.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization Daren Tang, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Vladimir Norov and other foreign leaders and heads of international organizations delivered video speeches at the opening ceremony.

Turing Award laureates Martin Edward Hellman and Whitfield Diffie spoke on cryptography, network security and other topics during the forum.

Hou Jianguo, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in his speech that the academy hopes to establish closer relations with innovation institutions at home and abroad through the ZGC Forum, and work with them to contribute more to global innovation and development.