In the new era of surging digital intelligence and booming new quality productive forces, 5G, AI, big models and other new technologies keep springing up. The automotive industry is entering a critical period of digitalization, high-end development and green transformation. On April 18, the China Auto Digital Intelligence Innovation Conference 2024 themed “Empowering Businesses with Digital Intelligence and Creating New Opportunities Together” was held grandly in Huadu District, Guangzhou.

The conference, focusing on automotive new quality productive forces, comprised one summit forum, four themed sub-forums, five major full-scenario exhibitions of automotive digital intelligence, etc. Nearly 300 enterprises and 600 industry elites from all over the country gathered there to discuss frontier trends, technological innovations and best practices, and explore new opportunities, challenges and developments in the era of automotive digital intelligence transformation together.

Exploring productive forces of automotive digital intelligence

Wonderful viewpoints shared by leading experts

With the theme of “Digital Intelligence – New Quality – Creation and Sharing”, the Summit Forum shared recent technologies and hot topics. A leader of Huadu District delivered a speech; Yang Xueshan, former Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, and Chairman of the ChinaInfo100 Academic Committee; Chai Tianyou, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Shan Zhiguang, Head of the Department of Informatization and Industry Development, State Information Center; Wu Kezhi, General Manager of the Changan Automobile Digital Intelligence Factory; Zhong Ling, Deputy Director of Digital Operations of Mengshi Automobile Technology; Hu Yongli, General Manager of Shenzhen Lanyou Technology Co., Ltd., and other leading industry experts shared frontier trends and innovation practices.

Yang Xueshan delivered a keynote speech titled “Automotive Industry Going Forward on the Path of Digital Intelligence”, making an in-depth analysis of the intelligence evolution process of the automotive industry from the very beginning. He pointed out that vehicles have always been an essence of intelligence, and automotive intelligence cannot be separated from smart institutions and entrepreneurs' wisdom. Digitalization, information and intelligence are embedded into the entire process of automotive development smartly. The digital transformation of the automotive industry should aim at the core problems to be solved, the automotive industry should become both larger and stronger, and industry regulators and entrepreneurs should share wisdom beyond algorithms and computing power.

Chai Tianyou gave a keynote speech titled “Industrial Intelligent Systems Based on New-Generation Information Technology”. He deeply analyzed the development directions and challenges of industrial intelligent systems, shared application cases of deep integration and innovative development of new-generation information technology and complex industrial processes, and proposed directions for empowering the high-quality development of new industrialization.

Around the theme of “New Quality Productive Forces and Automotive Digital Intelligence”, Shan Zhiguang elaborated on how new quality productive forces driven by technological innovation empower directions and strategies of automotive digital intelligence transformation, with focus on frontier technologies such as AI big models and block chain. “Big model technology is pushing AI into the 2.0 era, which will change the underlying logic of future digitalization and information systems.”

Hu Yongli delivered a keynote speech titled “Releasing Digital Intelligence Productivity and Creating New Growth Drivers for the Industry”. He analyzed the current dilemma of “three rat races” and “two difficulties” in the automotive market, and proposed that building centralized and AI capabilities to create digital intelligence productivity is the key game changer for this situation. Enterprise-centered digital transformation should be realized by unifying standards for establishing business, application, data and technical architectures, setting up business service centers, and quickly building business scenarios. Under the irresistible general trend of applying big models to vehicles, it is compulsory for automakers to establish AI computing centers.

“Lanyou Technology has released the Hongjing Automotive Digital Intelligence Cloud, which includes 219 scenario services, 108 business services, 120 AI atomic capabilities, and cloud technological infrastructure, designed to empower the industry.”

Wu Kezhi shared innovative practices of Changan Automobile’s new intelligent manufacturing. It is employing the “123 Mode”, which centers on business, data and processes, to build a fully connected, intelligent and collaborative digital factory. As its name implies, this mode means 1 unified digital infrastructure, 2 driving middle platforms and 3 major intelligent scenarios, which can support application setup and infinite expansion quickly. “The Changan Automobile Digital Intelligence Factory’s collaborative digital middle platform collaborates efficiently with the business platform developed by Lanyou Technology to guide the establishment of various upper-level application systems. As a result, this has realized the platformization and commercialization of Changan’s digital systems, and provided great support for the implementation of the company’s business strategy effectively. In addition, Lanyou’s intelligent logistics system LMS is a business benchmark driven by the two middle platforms together with the 4A architecture and data. It provides supply chain support for the digital intelligence factory’s make-to-order (MTO) production, including material resource planning (MRP), supplier order placement and collaboration, inbound logistics management, and RDC warehouse management. It covers the material storage and distribution of seven major workshops: stamping, welding, painting, final assembly, casting, machining, and battery. It also involves the management of automated stereoscopic warehouses and AGV-enabled warehouses that adopt the Goods-to-Person (GTP) system. The optimal logistics cost control is realized through full-chain adaptive optimization and intelligent logistics management, laying a solid foundation for the intelligent and efficient operation of the factory.”

Zhong Ling, Deputy Director of Digital Operations of Mengshi Automobile Technology, gave a speech titled “Customer-oriented Digital Transformation” that focused on four major areas: user journey, vehicle journey, product journey, and digital management, and shared the path of Mengshi Automobile Technology’s digital system establishment and innovative practices in digital marketing transformation. Mengshi Automobile Technology’s overall digital design concept revolves around “customer orientation”. “In terms of digital marketing, Lanyou Technology participates in the vehicle use stage of the user journey by establishing spare parts and service systems, and applying a new after-sales service model that meets all kinds of user service needs directly, and realizes online, proactive and transparent service processes.”

Four themed sub-forums

Exploring frontier industry trends in depth

In the afternoon, all the four major sub-forums of intelligent manufacturing, digital marketing, auto finance, and intelligent parts were brilliant with heated sharing and discussions! Xue Xu, EDP Chair Professor at the School of Economics, Peking University, and Secretary-General of the Marketing Expert Committee, China Marketing Association, delivered a keynote speech titled “The Path to Automotive Marketing Transformation Driven by AI Technology”, and Lang Xuehong, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Automobile Dealers Association, presented the Report on Development Trends of Auto Finance.

The Intelligent Manufacturing Sub-forum, with the theme of “Improving Manufacturing with Craftsmanship and Promoting Intelligence through Innovation”, discussed how to promote the innovation and development of automotive intelligent manufacturing using new technologies such as generative AI, digital twin and AI. At the sub-forum, Lanyou’s heavyweight MB-MOM and Whitepaper on the Lanyou Digital Lean Production Approach (LLP) were released, demonstrating Lanyou’s solid strength and foresight in the field of intelligent manufacturing.

With focus on “breaking through the era of low automotive growth through digital marketing”, the Digital Marketing Sub-forum discussed how to combine AI technology, big models, etc. with automotive marketing, redefine user experience, integrate marketing strategies, and conduct digital marketing of products from automakers and dealers, in order to open up a path of marketing innovation.

The Auto Finance Sub-forum, with the theme of “New Operations, Scenarios and Trends of Auto Finance,” discussed new asset management models and new breakthroughs in financial leasing transformation in the new market environment by focusing on hot topics such as digital auto finance, used vehicle finance, finance going global, and scenario-based auto finance. The ADI Auto Finance Elite Club was officially launched with the aim of establishing a high-level communication platform, and promoting the high-quality development of China’s auto finance industry jointly.

The Intelligent Parts Sub-forum, with the theme of “Application of New Intelligent Solutions and New Technologies to Mass Production”, discussed new experiences brought by next-generation AI technologies and big models to intelligent vehicles, and new perspectives on how to deal with cost competition. Three much-anticipated new products – intelligent networking, intelligent driving and intelligent cockpit – were launched, presenting the latest technological achievements in the field of automotive intelligence.

In the full-scenario experience area of automotive digital intelligence, innovative technological capabilities and achievements across the automotive value chain were displayed, with focuses on the five main themes of “vehicle marketing, vehicle making, vehicle use, business management, and digital intelligence technology”, attracting numerous automaker guests, industry partners, etc. for exchanges and discussions.

The China Auto Digital Intelligence Innovation Conference 2024 themed “Empowering Businesses with Digital Intelligence and Creating New Opportunities Together” has come to a successful conclusion. It has not only brought together the wisdom and power of numerous leading industry experts and elites, but also given hope to the industry’s development through automotive digital intelligence. Let’s work together to empower automotive digital intelligence and create automotive new quality productive forces!