Transforming Hunan’s Development Landscape with Artificial Intelligence

In the Changsha Xiangjiang New Area’s intelligent connected testing zone, a self-driving taxi autonomously changes lanes with centimeter-level precision; cameras near the steel blast furnace in Xiangtan capture foreign objects on the conveyor belt and automatically alert authorities within three seconds; at the provincial people’s hospital, an ambulance transmits a patient’s ECG in real-time to the emergency department, allowing doctors to prepare for treatment before the patient arrives.

The relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and various industries is deeply integrated into every workstation, service link, and governance node.

In May of this year, Hunan implemented a significant adjustment to its “three high ground” flagship project, adding the “AI+” action as a key initiative. Incorporating AI into Hunan’s development strategy not only affirms past practices but also strengthens future strategic commitments.

AI is evolving from a “must-answer question” to a “first-move chess piece” for Hunan’s high-quality development.

Revitalizing Scenarios: Bringing AI into Workshops and Streets

In the refining workshop of Xianggang, molten steel is boiling. In the past, workers had to rely on their eyes and experience to estimate the composition and temperature, leading to potential errors. Now, large models utilize high-definition cameras to read images in real-time, dynamically predicting changes in steel composition and temperature, saving the company approximately 5 million yuan annually.

The breakthroughs at high altitudes are equally impressive. For inspecting wind turbine blades over 100 meters long and with surface areas exceeding 2000 square meters, traditional methods required engineers to use telescopes, posing risks and potential oversights. Now, CRRC Times New Material employs drones equipped with AI models to autonomously establish a fault database for wind turbine blades, completing inspections in 30 minutes with an accuracy rate of 97.2%, reducing inspection costs from 5000 yuan to 1500 yuan per turbine.

The “intelligent transformation” effect continues to amplify within a broader intelligent manufacturing system. The province has cultivated 24 national-level intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories and 69 excellent scenarios. These large models focus on precise solutions for practical issues within vertical industries rather than pursuing a broad approach.

AI’s influence has spread from workshops to the streets. On April 1, in the Changsha May Day shopping district, a robotic traffic officer smoothly signaled for vehicles to proceed as the traffic light turned green. Nearby, a self-driving patrol car cruised the streets, with its onboard cameras capturing real-time footage and sending data back to the command center. “Robots can take on repetitive tasks, allowing police officers to focus on complex traffic situations and alleviating pressure on law enforcement,” explained Liu Jie, a team leader from the Changsha Traffic Management Brigade.

At Zhuzhou Central Hospital, a 5G smart emergency trauma integration platform enables “call location, boarding to admission, and immediate diagnosis upon arrival,” transforming ambulances into mobile “pre-hospital ICUs.” The provincial people’s hospital’s major technological project for emergency treatment of critically ill patients has leveraged Beidou and 5G technologies to achieve seamless information exchange and resource allocation, significantly shortening emergency response times.

The government is leading the way by opening up scenarios without boundaries. Starting in 2025, Hunan will annually select the “Top Ten Demonstration Scenarios” and provide substantial financial support for the selected scenarios. By 2026, the province aims to gather 254 application demands and 518 supply solutions, ensuring precise matching of needs.

Building an Ecosystem: Nurturing AI Innovation in a “Smart Rainforest”

The growth of AI requires a rich foundation. Hunan is employing systematic thinking to cultivate this innovation ecosystem from the ground up.

Strengthening computational power is essential for AI to “stand firm.” At the National Supercomputing Center in Changsha, the “Tianhe” next-generation supercomputer operates silently with a peak performance of 20 quintillion double-precision floating-point operations per second, offering 150 times the computational power of its predecessor. Changsha currently has 21 large-scale computing centers, with a total computational power of 7200 PF, accounting for half of the province’s total; the National Supercomputing Center in Changsha ranks among the top in the country, with its small data graph computing efficiency achieving the global number one in Graph500 last year. To date, the province’s total computational power has reached 13500 PF, with intelligent computing power at 5200 PF and supercomputing power at 223 PF, all ranking among the top in the nation.

Building strong platforms helps gather innovation resources. Hunan boasts resources from universities like National University of Defense Technology, Central South University, and Hunan University, along with over 30 high-level innovation platforms in the AI sector, creating 95 provincial-level AI-enabled typical application scenarios for new industrialization. There are over 300 key AI enterprises in the province, forming a complete chain from technology research and development to industrial transformation.

Attracting high-end talent ensures that innovation seeds “grow strong.” A single top talent can significantly impact an industry. Hunan understands this well, having 12 academicians, 27 distinguished young scholars, and over 50 research teams in the AI field. The province has innovatively implemented flexible talent recruitment models like “Weekend Engineers” to attract experts from various industries.

Enhancing policy support brings the industrial ecosystem to life. In 2025, Hunan will issue the “Implementation Plan for Hunan Province to Implement the State Council’s ‘AI+’ Action,” outlining a timeline for achieving breakthroughs in two years, results in five years, and establishing high grounds in ten years. The plan will subdivide AI+ into five key areas, 14 core tracks, and five major promotion strategies. The provincial government will establish a high-level working leadership group, incorporating “AI+” into annual supervision and incentives, and strengthening support from the Jin Furong Fund matrix, encouraging bold innovation and practical applications.

The province’s goal is set: by 2027, the AI industry scale will exceed 120 billion yuan, forming 50 industry vertical models and 200 typical application scenarios. By 2030, the industry scale will surpass 200 billion yuan, and by 2035, Hunan will fully enter a new stage of intelligent society and intelligent economic development.