[Dream Chasers, Future Makers] 2025 "Xiangjiang Cup" AI+ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Held
2025-05-22
On the afternoon of May 20, 2025, the finals of the "Xiangjiang Cup" AI+ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, hosted by Xiangjiang Laboratory and co-organized by HUTB and the Hunan Association for Artificial Intelligence, were held at the Lingchuang Lecture Hall in Xiangjiang Building. Liu Guoquan, Executive Deputy Director of Xiangjiang Laboratory, and Yang Liangqi, Member of the CPC HUTB Committee and Vice President of HUTB, attended the event. The event brought together judges and supervisors from top-tier universities, leading enterprises, and investment institutions in the AI field, along with finalist project teams, employee representatives from Xiangjiang Laboratory, and faculty-student delegates from HUTB.
At the request of Academician Chen Xiaohong, Secretary of the CPC HUTB Committee and Director of Xiangjiang Laboratory, Executive Deputy Director Liu Guoquan delivered an address on behalf of the laboratory. He extended a warm welcome to the judges, supervisors, and distinguished guests in attendance, and offered heartfelt congratulations to the 23 outstanding teams advancing to the finals. He expressed his hope that all participants would leverage the roadshow as an opportunity to demonstrate their projects’ core competitiveness and embody the pioneering, nation-minded spirit of youth in the new era. He further expressed his hope that all competing teams would use this competition as a springboard to deepen technological expertise, align with market needs, and transform innovative outcomes into a new driving force for high-quality economic and social development—jointly wielding the "pen of artificial intelligence" to co-author a new chapter of "pioneering the future."
The competition, themed "Xiangjiang Intelligence, Pioneering the Future," aims to drive AI technological innovation and commercialization, adopting a two-tier structure comprising preliminary and final rounds. The preliminary stage includes qualification review and online evaluation. Since its launch on April 10 this year, the competition has attracted enthusiastic participation from 416 teams nationwide, comprising university students, faculty, and corporate innovators. The submitted projects showcase cutting-edge AI applications across diverse sectors including culture, healthcare, industry, transportation, education, tourism, and services. After a rigorous online evaluation process, 23 exceptional projects were selected to advance to the live finals.
The finals unfolded in a packed lecture hall, buzzing with intense yet electric energy as all 23 competing teams delivered riveting roadshow presentations. They showcased exceptional innovation and entrepreneurial prowess through detailed demonstrations of their projects’ industry context, product innovations, implementation roadmaps, and growth strategies. During the Q&A session, judges conducted rigorous and incisive questioning and evaluations, examining each project's potential and value from all dimensions—technical foundations to market viability, innovation to feasibility. They provided actionable recommendations for refinement while encouraging all participants to sustain their innovative and entrepreneurial passion, break through core technologies, and deeply cultivate commercial value.
After intense competition, three projects emerged as first-prize winners: "A Mobile-End Visual Generative Model Pre-Trained on Domestic Computing Power," "SmartChain Life: An Integrated Intelligent Stem Cell Manufacturing Solution," and "Reinforcement Learning-Based Assembly Adjustment for Automotive 'Four-Doors-Two-Covers'." Additionally, five projects secured second prize, six received third prize, and all other finalists were awarded excellence prizes. These outstanding innovations not only exemplify the distinctive brilliance of "Xiangjiang Intelligence," but also herald the vast potential of AI to empower industries across all sectors.
Following the competition, participants unanimously affirmed that the event provided an exceptional platform for hands-on AI+ innovation and entrepreneurship, describing the experience as profoundly meaningful and immensely rewarding. Dr. Yuan Yige, a Tsinghua University PhD graduate, stated plans to leverage Xiangjiang Laboratory and scientific innovation teams to further refine adaptive solutions for production lines, delivering higher-quality product services. Wang Xiyan from Central South University remarked that all competing projects demonstrated exceptional quality, offering invaluable practical insights into AI-driven innovation and entrepreneurship. Liu Ziyan from HUTB described the competition as "a beacon illuminating our growth journey," profoundly igniting passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. Liu Meixuan from Xiangtan University stated plans to internalize the invaluable experience gained from the competition, placing greater emphasis on technological R&D to drive innovation and entrepreneurship through "hardcore tech." Liu Zhili from Changsha University of Science and Technology remarked that the judges’ critiques provided profound inspiration, charting a clear path forward for deeper commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship.
This competition stands as a pivotal initiative by Xiangjiang Laboratory to implement Hunan Province’s "Seven Ones" Action Plan for supporting college entrepreneurship, serving as a vital platform to empower industries across sectors through "AI+" innovation. The competition prioritizes not only project innovation and technical feasibility but also commercial viability and social impact. It aims to cultivate not just "technical specialists" but well-rounded "innovation polymaths," serving as both a stage for intellectual exchange and a crucible for testing transformative ideas. Through this competition platform, we identify groundbreaking, commercially viable innovations and cultivate interdisciplinary talents equipped with both scientific rigor and market acumen—accelerating AI's journey from lab benches to factory floors, and achieving deep integration across the "innovation chain, industry chain, and talent chain."
(Written by Zhang Gaoyang and Han Silang and photo by Tu Hua)
