State Grid Signs New Cooperation Deal Focused on Artificial Intelligence

On July 7, Zhang Zhigang, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of State Grid Corporation of China, held talks with Zhou Bowen, Director and Chief Scientist of Shanghai AI Laboratory, and witnessed the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between the two sides.

The Party Leadership Group of State Grid and Party committees of its subsidiaries held a joint special study session themed "AI Plus" for theoretical learning central groups on the same day. Zhang Zhigang presided over the session and delivered a speech, while Zhou Bowen was invited to deliver a special counseling report.

Zhang Zhigang pointed out that the company must adopt a high political stance. From the political perspective of firmly upholding the "Two Establishments" and resolutely implementing the "Two Maintenances", we should fully recognize the great significance of developing artificial intelligence in the new era, conduct forward-looking thinking, comprehensive planning and holistic advancement.

First, accelerate technological layout. Seize opportunities brought by AI development, deepen basic research on new power systems, speed up the transformation of power scientific research paradigms led by artificial intelligence, and advance the intelligent transformation of power grids. Second, deepen empowered application. Embed artificial intelligence deeply into the full industrial chain and all corporate governance links of the company, comprehensively boosting production quality, management efficiency and service standards. Third, hold fast to the bottom line of security. Improve the company’s AI security governance system, strengthen credible authentication of artificial intelligence, and realize synchronous progress of secure development and technological iteration. Fourth, strengthen overall coordination and support. Leverage the group’s comprehensive advantages, deepen pragmatic cooperation, promote joint co-construction, pool development forces and foster a sound industrial ecosystem.

During the talks, Zhang Zhigang and Zhou Bowen witnessed the signing of the strategic cooperation agreement. Wang Gang, Deputy General Manager and Member of the Party Leadership Group of State Grid, and Wen Bin, Deputy Director of Shanghai AI Innovation Center, signed the agreement on behalf of each party respectively.

In recent years, integrated development of artificial intelligence and energy has gained rapid momentum. As major players in the industry, central power enterprises have long laid out AI-related initiatives, and State Grid is no exception.

Top-level Design

State Grid has issued the Opinions on Further Advancing the Special Action of "AI Plus". Centering on eight key power grid sectors including planning & construction, power grid operation, equipment management and customer service, the document sets a strategic target: by 2030, the penetration rate of intelligent agents and the application coverage of Guangming Power Large Model will both exceed 90%, putting the intelligence level of power grids and the company at the world’s leading tier.

Implementation Progress

State Grid has launched the Guangming Power Large Model. Drawing on massive power grid operational data, the model has been deployed in multiple core business scenarios such as equipment operation & maintenance, dispatch operation and marketing services, further improving the safe and stable operation of power grids. Meanwhile, provincial-level deployments of the Guangming Power Large Model have been completed by State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power and State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power, with continuous upgrades to model capabilities underway.

January 2025: State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power took the lead across the State Grid system to finish provincial deployment of the Guangming Power Large Model, rolling out over 10 customized featured applications at the earliest opportunity.

March 17, 2025: The AI Training Base of State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power was inaugurated at its training center. Covering a floor area of 420 square meters, the "Power AI Dream Factory" consists of a platform training zone and a simulation verification zone. It supports full-process practical training covering AI model development, training tuning, scenario evaluation, algorithm optimization and robot inspection for trainees.

September 15, 2025: State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company signed a four-party cooperation agreement with Unitree Robotics, an embodied intelligence base enterprise and State Grid Zhejiang Huadian Research Institute. Centered on "power plus embodied intelligence", the parties agreed to co-build training platforms, jointly tackle core key technologies, participate in national standard formulation and cultivate interdisciplinary compound talents.

Pilot Applications in Jiangsu Supported by State Grid’s AI Technical Architecture

Power Grid Sector: The multi-dimensional integrated map platform and digital power grid computational deduction platform have been launched to support multiple business lines including planning, construction and operation & maintenance.

Service Sector: Based on the Guangming Large Model, Jiangsu became the first unit within State Grid to fully operationalize the intelligent power supply scheme generation process, and took the lead in realizing full-work-order management for power supply stations.

Management Sector: Guangming Intelligent Evaluation, a product for material bidding, achieves an auxiliary evaluation accuracy rate of 95%, making evaluation processes more traceable and less vulnerable to arbitrary human judgment.

State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power plans to build three joint AI laboratories focusing on three technical routes: natural language processing, computer vision and scientific computing, leveraging next-generation artificial intelligence technologies.

In April 2026, Zhang Zhigang visited China Electric Power Research Institute to conduct special research on artificial intelligence and presided over an on-site forum. Representatives from six institutions delivered speeches at the forum: China Electric Power Research Institute, State Grid Electric Power Research Institute (NARI Group), State Grid Information & Telecommunication Group, as well as State Grid Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang Electric Power.

Zhang Zhigang emphasized multiple key requirements:

Shift mindsets and truly regard artificial intelligence as a core growth variable, systematically reshaping modes of thinking, organization and governance.

Strengthen overall planning, conduct in-depth research on major issues including development goals, implementation paths, key sectors and core scenarios, and scientifically formulate tasks and measures.

Boost innovation-driven development, scale up AI layout in scientific research, deepen frontier basic research and interdisciplinary exploration, accelerate integrated development of scientific and industrial innovation, and establish incentive mechanisms aligned with the laws of AI innovation.

Scale up in-depth AI application by clarifying targets, assigning clear responsibilities and accelerating popularization and deployment.

Integrate artificial intelligence with the development of new power systems to safeguard energy security, advance energy transition and strengthen risk prevention and control.

Consolidate the foundational AI infrastructure as a whole, reinforce credible authentication and build up professional talent teams.