2nd Digiloong Cup Global AI Innovation Competition

Against the backdrop of AI technology rapidly entering mainstream adoption, the 2nd Digiloong Cup Global AI Innovation Competition (Digiloong GAIC), initiated by Century Huatong (parent company of Century Games), was officially launched on April 2, with its official website (https://aicht.sjhuatong.com/) going live simultaneously. This year's competition is guided by authoritative institutions including the Games Publishing Committee of CADPA, Pudong New Area Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, Shanghai Cultural and Creative Industry Promotion Association, Shanghai Online Game Association, and Macau-Qinjin Cultural and Technology Industry Association. It has joined hands with leading platforms and media organizations such as ChinaJoy, CLS, TideNews, 36Kr, ModelScope, and GAMEKEZHAN to build a full-chain empowerment system focused on AI technological innovation and industrial application, and comprehensively accelerate the translation of artificial intelligence into real productivity.

The 1st Digiloong GAIC was successfully held in 2025. With its cutting-edge event positioning and core industrial value, it achieved fruitful results: more than 150 high-quality innovative teams from around the world participated enthusiastically, and a total of 120 valid entries were collected. After rigorous review, 11 teams stood out and won honors across six award categories. The competition not only discovered several emerging entrepreneurial teams deeply engaged in vertical scenarios but also promoted the exploration of the commercialization of AI technology. Among the winning teams, Haiyi Interactive Entertainment secured strategic investment from Century Huatong with its high-quality project, while the Gamercury team received joint investment from the Shanghai Angel Club. Both have become outstanding examples of the competition empowering industrial applications, laying a solid industrial foundation for the upgrade and iteration of the 2nd event.

This year's competition has set a complete schedule: the submission period is from April 2 to May 31, opening the registration channel to global AI innovation teams and developers; the preliminary selection of works will be held from June 1 to June 15, conducting the first round of professional screening of all participating entries. The re-selection and finalist period will run from June 16 to June 30, during which projects passing the preliminary selection will undergo further review to determine the list of teams shortlisted for the offline review; the offline review of shortlisted works will be carried out in mid-to-late July for an offline professional competition; the awards ceremony will be held at ChinaJoy 2026 on July 31 to announce the winners of various awards and commend outstanding AI innovation achievements and teams.

In terms of track design, closely following the current development highlights of the AI industry, this year's competition has expanded its tracks on the basis of deepening the original core tracks, officially setting up three major tracks: AI Games, AI Applications, and AI Agents. These fully cover the core application fields of current artificial intelligence technology.

Regional empowerment has become an important highlight of this year's Digiloong GAIC. The organizer will cooperate with multiple partners to arrange tailored offline activities in three cities: Hangzhou, Macao, and Shanghai, build a regional innovation empowerment network, activate the AI innovation vitality of different regions, boost innovative development of the AI industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Yangtze River Delta and other regions, and expand the global influence of the competition. Meanwhile, the online live salon format from the first competition will continue, focusing on the theme of "AI+" and project roadshows for participating teams.

Compared with the inaugural edition, the 2nd Digiloong GAIC pays more attention to the post-competition incubation and long-term support of participating projects. In addition to cash rewards, it has created a diversified characteristic reward system, providing participating teams with comprehensive support from exposure and resources to capital and technology, allowing high-quality innovative projects to continue to receive development support after the competition. The core feature reward of this competition is "one registration, participation in two competitions." The competition has been closely linked with the 4th "Cultural and Creative Shanghai" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. Teams shortlisted for the Digiloong GAIC can simultaneously participate in the selection of the "Intelligent Future +" track of the 4th "Cultural and Creative Shanghai" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, unlocking double exposure opportunities, multiple policy supports and rich industry resources for participating teams. The "Intelligent Future +" track focuses on the in-depth integration of artificial intelligence and digital cultural and creative industries, which is highly consistent with the positioning of the Digiloong GAIC. The linkage of the two competitions provides a broader display platform and commercial implementation path for participating teams.

In terms of industry docking and investment matchmaking, the competition can provide outstanding participating teams with one-on-one meetings with senior executives, allowing teams to obtain professional guidance on industrial development and suggestions on project optimization. At the same time, the investment division of Century Huatong will provide special investment connection services for high-quality projects, and work with well-known venture capital institutions to build an exclusive and efficient investment matchmaking channel for participating teams, helping projects secure funding. In addition, all high-quality participating projects will be included in the competition resource pool, obtaining long-term industrial resource connection services, continuously enjoying the empowerment dividends of the competition, and realizing the long-term development of the projects.

Since its inception, the Digiloong GAIC has been committed to building a platform for AI innovation and industrial application and helping cutting-edge AI technologies achieve breakthroughs and commercialization. The launch of the 2nd competition is an important measure for Century Huatong to continue its layout in the AI industry and promote inclusive technological development. With the Digiloong GAIC as the link, Century Huatong will continue to gather global AI innovation talents, integrate cross-border high-quality resources, break the barriers between technology and industry, laboratories and the public, and rely on the three core empowerment systems of capital, computing power and resources to comprehensively help participating teams grow rapidly.

At present, China is at the forefront of global AI application innovation, while the overseas market also boasts abundant innovation opportunities in segmented fields. The 2nd Digiloong GAIC will continue to take the competition as the core carrier, connect global AI innovation resources, promote the accelerated commercial implementation of cutting-edge achievements such as AI games, AI applications and AI agents, and continuously inject momentum into the high-quality development of China's digital economy and artificial intelligence industry.