A new artificial intelligence open alliance has been launched in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, marking a major push to consolidate national resources for AI innovation and development.
Formed under the guidance of the Ministry of Education’s Department of Science, Technology and Informatization, the alliance brings together 17 top universities and eight leading technology enterprises and research institutions. Among its founding members are Tsinghua University, Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, and the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. The alliance’s secretariat will be housed at Tsinghua University.
Conceived as an international, open, and nonprofit platform, the alliance seeks to coordinate major national AI research projects, build secure and independent AI infrastructure, cultivate high-level talent, and expand the use of artificial intelligence across education and other key sectors. It also aims to foster an open-source technology community to accelerate innovation.
To meet these objectives, the alliance will prioritize transforming teaching and learning models, creating a new training system for AI talent, advancing fundamental research, developing autonomous technological foundations, and strengthening international cooperation.
Five specialized committees have already been set up to guide this work, each led by a major academic institution:
- Tsinghua University will oversee AI in education,
- Peking University will guide AI in research,
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University will direct fundamental AI engineering,
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong will focus on AI ethics and governance, and
- The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology will lead international AI cooperation.
Li Luming, president of Tsinghua University and chair of the alliance, described the initiative as a crucial step toward meeting national strategic needs and securing China’s leading role in global AI development.
He noted that the alliance will work to establish integrated innovation platforms for AI applications, coordinated technology infrastructure, and shared governance and exchange systems, laying the groundwork for long-term advancement in the field. Photo by mikemacmarketing, Wikimedia commons.
