First Council Meeting of 2025 for Xiangjiang Laboratory Convened

2025-07-10

Coinciding with the approach of the third anniversary of the establishment of the Xiangjiang Laboratory, on the afternoon of July 9, the first council meeting of 2025 for the Xiangjiang Laboratory was held in the Zhiyuan Lecture Hall of the Xiangjiang Building. Cao Zhiqiang, Member of the CPC Leading Group and Vice Governor of the People’s Government of Hunan Province, issued instructions regarding the convening of this meeting, which were conveyed by Chen Zhuoyi, Deputy Director of the General Office of the People’s Government of Hunan Province and Chairman of the Xiangjiang Laboratory Council.

In his instructions, Vice Governor Cao Zhiqiang pointed out that the Xiangjiang Laboratory is a major technological innovation platform meticulously planned by the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Government of Hunan Province. Since its establishment, it has focused on the core directions of artificial intelligence and advanced computing, achieving a series of impressive results in aligning with national strategic needs and serving Hunan's industrial development. These accomplishments are worthy of full affirmation. He expressed hope that the laboratory would, with an even more open mind, accelerate the gathering of top-tier technological forces, high-end talent, and innovative resources to produce more landmark achievements with national and even global influence. The laboratory council and its member units should provide comprehensive support to propel the laboratory into becoming a key force in serving national technological self-reliance and self-strengthening while supporting Hunan's high-quality development.

Attending the meeting were Chen Xiaohong, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Secretary of the CPC HUTB Committee, and Vice Chairperson of the Xiangjiang Laboratory Council; Chen Zhuoyi, Deputy Director of the General Office of the People’s Government of Hunan Province and Chairman of the Xiangjiang Laboratory Council; Li Zhijian, Secretary of the Leading CPC Group of the Department of Science and Technology of Hunan Province and Vice Chairman of the Xiangjiang Laboratory Council; as well as members of the first council and the director committee of the laboratory. The meeting was presided over by Chairman Chen Zhuoyi.

Academician Chen Xiaohong stated that under the strong leadership of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Government of Hunan Province, with the vigorous support of the Department of Science and Technology of Hunan Province and other departments, and under the careful guidance of the council, the Xiangjiang Laboratory has aimed to benchmark against national laboratories and serve Hunan's "4×4" modern industrial system. Focusing on the fields of artificial intelligence and advanced computing, it has scaled the heights of technology with "hardcore breakthroughs," activated the wellsprings of innovation with a "talent-gathering ecosystem," and achieved mutual empowerment through "collaborative synergy," running at the "laboratory speed" on the track of technological innovation. As the "first echelon" of technological innovation in Hunan, the Xiangjiang Laboratory will streamline the innovation chain of "talent aggregation + basic research + technological breakthroughs + achievement transformation + industrial incubation," promote the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, and provide stronger support for high-quality economic and social development.

Secretary Li Zhijian pointed out that the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Government of Hunan Province attach great importance to the construction of high-energy technological innovation platforms. Over the three years since its establishment, the Xiangjiang Laboratory has played a benchmark and exemplary role among the four major provincial laboratories, which can be summarized as "three earlies and three mosts": it was unveiled the earliest, began substantive operations the earliest, and initiated "organized scientific research" the earliest; it has integrated the most high-end resources, established the most joint innovation research institutes with enterprises, and taken the lead in producing the most technological innovation achievements. He expressed hope that the Xiangjiang Laboratory would further enhance the integration of resources and strengths, improve the organization mechanism for major and key scientific research projects, and increase efforts to attract high-level talent. It should focus on substantive operations, tackle key core technologies, and recruit and cultivate high-level talent. The Department of Science and Technology of Hunan Province will fully provide service and support, and all council member units will form synergies to jointly promote the Xiangjiang Laboratory in producing more technological innovation outcomes.

Deputy Director Chen Zhuoyi pointed out that over the past three years, the Xiangjiang Laboratory has thoroughly implemented the important discourses of General Secretary Xi Jinping on technological innovation, as well as his important speeches and instructions during his inspection of Hunan. It has fully carried out the decisions and deployments of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Government of Hunan Province regarding the construction of landmark projects for the "Three Highlands," focusing on key scientific issues and industrial development needs in the fields of artificial intelligence and advanced computing, and has achieved significant results in mechanisms, scientific research breakthroughs, and achievement transformation. He expressed hope that the Xiangjiang Laboratory would further focus on its mission and positioning, deepen substantive operations; strengthen innovative collaboration to produce more landmark achievements; standardize operational management, enhance collaborative support, and provide powerful momentum. All council member units should strengthen communication and coordination, work together to advance the high-quality development of the laboratory's work, and make greater contributions to promoting the development of science and technology in our province.

The meeting heard reports on the overall work progress, financial final accounts and budget preparation, scientific research work, and headquarters construction of the Xiangjiang Laboratory. Council members conducted deliberations and voted by show of hands, unanimously passing the relevant work reports. Participants engaged in exchange and delivered remarks, fully affirming the significant achievements of the Xiangjiang Laboratory in high-standard planning, high-efficiency advancement, and high-level implementation, and offered suggestions for the laboratory's further high-quality construction and development.

As a major scientific and technological initiative deployed by the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Government of Hunan Province, the Xiangjiang Laboratory has focused on cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and advanced computing since its establishment on July 10, 2022. It has formed a collaborative co-construction model involving its headquarters, universities, and industrial alliance enterprises under the "integration of computing power, algorithm, computing basis and computing network," and established an integrated scientific and technological innovation system comprising innovation research institutes, R&D centers, regional innovation centers, artificial intelligence social laboratories, and PI teams led by academicians and experts. The laboratory has been honored with prestigious awards such as the Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Outstanding Contribution Award, the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress, the First Prize for Outstanding Achievement Award for Research in Institutes of Higher Education (Science and Technology) from the Ministry of Education, and the First Prize for Science and Technology Progress in Hunan Province. It has successively launched 24 innovative products labeled "Xiangjiang No. 1" to "Xiangjiang No. 24" in fields including AI pre-trained large models (e.g., cultural creativity, intelligent manufacturing, pathology, transportation), embodied intelligent (humanoid) robots, intelligent agents, brain-like intelligence, bio-intelligent manufacturing, industrial digital twins, the metaverse, culture + technology, smart transportation, the low-altitude economy, smart energy, intelligent computing acceleration, and secure sharing of computational data. The laboratory has engaged in deep collaborations with leading enterprises such as Huawei, Baidu, JD.com, H3C, Unitree Robotics, and Leju Robot, and established regional innovation centers in Yueyang, Xiangtan, and other locations. As the sole or primary unit, it has been granted over 160 national invention patents and was selected as one of Hunan Province's first batch of scientific research institution intellectual property centers. The laboratory has also established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Xiangjiang Intelligent Computing (Hunan) High Tech Development Co., Ltd., dedicated to the transformation and industrialization of its scientific and technological achievements. It has formed a dedicated and part-time research team, including a group of academicians from both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, foreign academicians, and national-level talents such as Changjiang Scholars and Distinguished Young Scholars. The laboratory has coordinated efforts to advance the integrated reform of the mechanisms for education, technology, and talent, successively obtaining approvals for the Hunan Provincial Postdoctoral Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base and the National Postdoctoral Research Workstation. Relying on the Xiangjiang Laboratory, a number of student scientific and technological innovation teams have been cultivated, consistently achieving top honors such as national championships and first prizes in the China Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Competition, special awards in the National "Challenge Cup" series of competitions for college students, first prizes in the Global Campus Artificial Intelligence Algorithm Elite Competition, as well as silver awards in the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition.

In the next step, the Xiangjiang Laboratory will deeply advance high-level technological innovation projects, continuously implement high-level talent recruitment and cultivation initiatives, and accelerate the quality improvement and efficiency enhancement of substantive operations. Aligning with the goals outlined in the construction plan to "consolidate foundations, create distinctive features, and produce achievements, promoting high-standard and high-quality development of the laboratory," it will persist with sustained efforts and long-term commitment. The laboratory aims to achieve new successes in technological breakthroughs, talent team building, substantive operations, and the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, comprehensively driving high-quality development. It will continue to focus on building strategic technological strength in the fields of artificial intelligence and advanced computing, making new and greater contributions to achieving high-level self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology.

(Written by Zhang Gaoyang and photo by Ling Haotian)