Guangdong’s XAIR conference pushes 'AI + manufacturing' and talent pipelines as robotics moves from demos to factory floors

Summary

A major Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area AI-and-robotics gathering (XAIR) opened in Guangzhou, using the event as a springboard for industrial deployment—not just flashy demos. Organizers highlighted “AI+manufacturing” priorities, pointing to large-scale digital transformation efforts and showcasing how robots are evolving from fixed-program machines into more adaptive, collaborative systems inside production lines and logistics hubs. The event also leaned hard into workforce strategy: a dedicated talent forum argued for tighter links between academia and industry, launched talent alliances, and rolled out training/assessment initiatives aimed at embodied intelligence roles. The deeper takeaway is that China’s robotics push is becoming an ecosystem play—policy + standards + skills + procurement—where companies like Pudu Robotics and XPeng (alongside telecom and manufacturing giants) use regional platforms to accelerate commercialization and lock in supply-chain and deployment advantages.