What World Artificial Intelligence Conference does

World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC, 世界人工智能大会) is an annual AI conference and event organization headquartered in Shanghai, China, founded in 2018. It operates a flagship annual conference alongside two core recognition programs: the SAIL Award (Super AI Leader), WAIC's highest honor recognizing AI projects with technological excellence and real-world scalability, and the inaugural Shenzhi Cup Artificial Intelligence Innovation Competition, which emphasizes practical industrial AI implementation over polished demonstrations.

The organization is guided by its own Organizing Committee and co-hosted by government-affiliated entities including Shanghai State-owned Capital Investment Co., Ltd. and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). WAIC serves AI research teams, enterprises, and innovators across manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and urban infrastructure, connecting them to international visibility and Chinese market opportunities through a global applicant base that has grown to 4,500+ SAIL submissions from 20+ countries and a record 1,451 Shenzhi Cup teams from 30+ countries.

Commercially, WAIC operates as a professional services and event platform, generating revenue through participant fees, sponsorship packages, exhibition booth rentals, and partner-funded competition prize pools (USD $280,000+ for SAIL and RMB 4 million for Shenzhi Cup). It pursues international expansion via dedicated overseas recruitment partnerships, exemplified by Transphere Consulting's appointment for the 2026 SAIL Award, and has begun geographic outreach beyond Shanghai, including a 2026 embodied AI forum in Barcelona during Mobile World Congress. The organization is private and not backed by disclosed venture or private equity funding; its institutional base rests on state-affiliated Chinese partners rather than commercial investors.

Name

World Artificial Intelligence Conference

Legal name

World Artificial Intelligence Conference

Website

https://worldaic.com.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

WAIC is a Shanghai-based annual AI conference and event organization, founded in 2018, that operates the SAIL Award and Shenzhi Cup competitions to recognize and showcase AI innovations from global research teams and enterprises across manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and urban infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Conference and Industry Events

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Awards Ceremonies & Competitions (Judging, Voting) (MPAGAOAN)

Keywords

• AI industry conference
• Innovation award programs
• AI competition hosting
• Conference event services
• Technology recognition platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Conference and Event Operations: WAIC generates revenue through organizing its annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference, including participant fees, sponsorship packages, and exhibition booth rentals. The conference also hosts competitions with prize pools funded by partners and sponsors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

WAIC is an annual artificial intelligence conference held in Shanghai, China, operating as an event platform and awards body. Its core offerings include the SAIL Award (Super AI Leader), its highest distinction recognizing AI projects with technological excellence and real-world scalability, and the Shenzhi Cup AI Innovation Competition, which emphasizes practical industrial AI use cases over polished demonstrations.

Product overview

The World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) is an annual artificial intelligence conference organization that operates primarily as an event platform and awards program. Its main offerings include the SAIL Award (Super AI Leader), WAIC's highest distinction recognizing AI innovation, and the Shenzhi Cup AI Innovation Competition. The conference serves as a platform for global AI innovation recognition and industrial application showcase.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAIL Award (Super AI Leader) WAIC's highest distinction award recognizing AI projects that demonstrate both technological excellence and real-world scalability. Aimed at AI research teams, technology companies, and enterprises developing AI applications across manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and urban infrastructure sectors.
• Shenzhi Cup AI Innovation Competition Artificial Intelligence Innovation Competition organized under WAIC guidance that emphasizes real industrial use cases and practical verification over polished demos. Features four official tracks with RMB 4 million prize pool, positioning itself as a bridge between laboratory AI concepts and production-line implementation. Targeted at AI teams and organizations focused on industrial AI application.
• World Artificial Intelligence Conference (Annual Event) Annual international AI conference held in Shanghai that brings together global AI innovators, enterprises, research teams, and government representatives. Features keynote sessions, exhibitions, partnership announcements, and serves as the umbrella event for the SAIL Award and Shenzhi Cup Competition. Generates revenue through participant fees, sponsorship packages, and exhibition booth rentals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4,500 submissions from more than 20 countries and regions since 2018
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Transphere ConsultingflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 April 2026Appointed as the official overseas recruitment partner for the 2026 SAIL Award. Coordinates international nominations and guides AI teams through the application process. Enables WAIC to reach and attract global AI innovators.
• Shanghai State-owned Capital Investment Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Co-host of the Shenzhi Cup Artificial Intelligence Innovation Competition alongside the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. Provides institutional backing and state-affiliated credibility to the competition.
• China Academy of Information and Communications TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Co-host of the Shenzhi Cup Artificial Intelligence Innovation Competition. Provides technical expertise and government-affiliated credibility to the AI innovation competition.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NeurIPS: NeurIPS is the premier global machine-learning research conference, attracting tens of thousands of AI researchers and practitioners annually with paper presentations, awards, and industry sponsorships. Comparable to WAIC in its awards-driven program structure and global AI community reach, though more research-oriented than WAIC's industrial emphasis.
• The AI Summit: The AI Summit is a global conference and expo series focused exclusively on AI for business, with flagship events in London, New York, and Singapore. Directly comparable to WAIC as a B2B-focused AI conference with awards/recognition programs, enterprise sponsors, and an applied-AI (vs. purely research) orientation.
• Web Summit: Web Summit runs flagship tech conferences (Lisbon, Rio, Qatar) that aggregate global startups, enterprise tech buyers, and policymakers, with sponsorship, ticketing, and award-style programming. Comparable to WAIC in scale, audience composition (enterprise AI innovators), and global event-driven revenue model.
• TechCrunch Disrupt: TechCrunch Disrupt is a major global tech/startup conference featuring startup competitions, enterprise sponsors, and high-visibility awards. Comparable to WAIC's Shenzhi Cup competition in its team-competition format and enterprise sponsorship base, though more startup-oriented and US-anchored.
• ICML (International Conference on Machine Learning): ICML is a flagship machine-learning research conference with global attendance, sponsorships, and awards similar in prestige to NeurIPS. Comparable to WAIC in drawing global AI talent, prize/award programming, and an industry-track monetization model alongside the academic program.
• AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence: AAAI is a leading global AI research conference with awards, paper competitions, and significant industry sponsorship. Comparable to WAIC as a globally recognized AI event with multi-track programming and academic/industry crossover, but more research-oriented than WAIC's industrial-applied focus.
• CVPR (Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition): CVPR is the top-tier computer-vision and AI conference with thousands of papers, industry sponsors, and award programs. Comparable to WAIC in its technical-AI community reach, awards-driven credibility, and reliance on global volunteer committees; differs in academic-vs-industrial emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• CES (Consumer Technology Association): CES is the world's largest consumer technology trade show, operated by the Consumer Technology Association with global exhibitors, enterprise buyers, AI as a fast-growing track, and CES Innovation Awards. Comparable to WAIC in award-program structure, large enterprise sponsorship base, and headline-driven visibility model.
• Mobile World Congress (GSMA): MWC Shanghai is a flagship telecom-and-tech conference organized by GSMA that attracts global operators, AI vendors, and policymakers across the mobile/connectivity ecosystem. Comparable to WAIC as a large-scale Shanghai-based global tech event with enterprise sponsorship, exhibition floors, and conference programming — and notably the venue of WAIC's own March 2026 embodied-AI forum.

Regional players

• GITEX Global: GITEX Global is the Middle East's largest tech and AI exhibition (Dubai), attracting global sponsors, government delegations, and AI startups. Comparable to WAIC in scale and government-backed positioning, but regional to MENA rather than China; together they constitute the two most prominent government-supported AI event ecosystems globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DONGHAOLANSHENG
• Facebookfacebook.com/WorldAIConf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shanghai-global-ai-exposition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World Artificial Intelligence Conference