An expert shares his insights into virtual reality and augmented reality technologies at the World Intelligence Congress in Tianjin in May 2018. [Photo/china daily]

Manufacturing is changing around the world because of the robots, sensors, artificial intelligence and other technologies that are leading to what the World Economic Forum calls the "fourth industrial revolution". So, Tianjin, which has a long history in manufacturing and is often called "the birthplace of modern Chinese industry", is seizing the opportunity to build on this legacy by embracing its role as a national center for advanced manufacturing that integrates industry with the new technologies.

A robot serves as a hospital guide in Tianjin. Using artificial intelligence technology, it can help patients to find their clinics. [Photo/ CHINA News Service]

In the past two years, the city has devoted up to 100 billion yuan ($14.8 billion) to a fund-of-funds that targets the intersection between AI and manufacturing. It will invest in AI companies in Tianjin, focusing on smart robots, smart hardware and software, smart sensors, virtual and augmented reality and internet-connected cars. In addition, 10 billion yuan is targeted at the technological upgrading of intelligent manufacturing enterprises.

Tianjin Binhai New Area announced in 2017 the establishment of a 30 billion yuan fund with China Traffic Construction Group. That fund, as China Daily earlier reported, will primarily be used to facilitate cooperation among global intelligent engineering technology centers and Binhai’s Sino-German Industry 4.0 intelligent manufacturing center, its integrated circuit center, automotive electronics and automated driving center, and its intelligent transportation center. It will also concentrate on applying the internet of things to create smart city systems.

Plus, in June 2017, the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area announced the Intelligent Industrial Zone, a 20-square-kilometer area intended to host companies developing new technologies, including AI, intelligent finance, healthcare and smart logistics.

Overall, there are roughly 60 TEDA-based companies that specialize in intelligent manufacturing, including industrial robot maker Baolai and Yiersu Easy-Robot, which provides automatic integration services for industrial systems, according to the online professional journal Engineering.

Investors in Chinese technology see this integration of digital technologies with the real world, especially in manufacturing, as a turning point in the world economy.

A futuristic library at Tianjin's Binhai New Area features a large, luminous sphere in the center of the facility, which serves as an auditorium with a capacity for 110 people. [Photo/china daily]

Edward Tse, founder and CEO of Gao Feng Advisory, who formerly led the China operations of the large US-based corporate strategy advisories Boston Consulting and Booz Allen Hamilton, told China Daily:“What is happening right now is that there are a few major disruptive technologies — AI, 5G, the internet of things, and blockchain distributed ledgers — all happening at the same time over the next few years.”

Tianjin is building on its legacy in manufacturing and shipping and on the opportunities made possible by the Belt and Road Initiative to become a leader in this revolution that will transform the entire economy.