Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu Province, is looking to build on its growing artificial intelligence (AI) sector. The city is stepping up efforts to develop physical AI and world models, two emerging fields that could expand the use of AI in the real world.

Physical AI enables intelligent systems such as robots to interact with their surroundings, while world models help AI understand and predict how the physical environment behaves. Together, the technologies could improve machines’ ability to perceive their surroundings, make decisions and perform real-world tasks.

The city is hosting China’s first high-level industry conference dedicated to the technologies, with the three-day event opening on Tuesday, October 20. Nine seminars are exploring key challenges, including data supply and model training, while two projects worth more than 6 billion yuan (898 million U.S. dollars) in total were signed at the event.

Efforts to strengthen the industry’s foundations also took centre stage, with the release of a plan to develop high-quality datasets across the Yangtze River Delta and the launch of an industry alliance headquartered in Nanjing.

The city already has more than 3,600 AI-related companies, with its AI industry valued at over 300 billion yuan. It also has 41 large models that have passed national registration, ranking sixth nationwide.