China's flagship expo for global appliance and electronics industry, the 2026 Appliance and Electronics World Expo (AWE2026), opened in Shanghai on Thursday, spotlighting a host of AI-powered innovations and technologies shaping the future of smart living for worldwide markets.

For the first time, the expo features a "one exhibition, two zones" format. In addition to the core main exhibition area at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, a parallel sub-exhibition zone has been established for the first time at the Shanghai Eastern Hub International Business Cooperation Zone.

Leveraging the hub's strategic location and policy advantages, invited overseas participants can enjoy visa-free entry and a 30-day stay, enabling a "visit upon arrival" experience that significantly reduces communication costs for international merchants and provides a higher-level platform for global industry cooperation. The event has so far attracted over 1,200 domestic and international companies.

"As a top-tier global event in the field of home appliances and consumer electronics, AWE has adopted the 'one exhibition, two zones' model for the first time this year. In particular, using the business cooperation zone as a new platform for high-level opening-up deeply connects global resources and helps AWE achieve a new leap in both its functional capacity and scale," said Chen Jie, vice mayor of Shanghai.

The main exhibition area spans 13 halls covering 170,000 square meters. It encompasses core sectors such as intelligent terminals, smart mobility, health technology, embodied intelligence, and computing power infrastructure. From advanced display technologies and AI-powered wearable devices to domestic service robots and whole-house smart solutions, the innovations on display outline a comprehensive new blueprint for intelligent life.

"At this year's AWE, new display technologies are breaking the boundaries of interaction and becoming vital carriers connecting the digital and physical worlds. AI smartphones and AI glasses are accelerating their roles as the next generation of personal intelligent portals. With more tech companies joining, more cutting-edge applications have debuted in terms of embodied AI products, such as humanoid and service robots. As a result, AWE is becoming a crucial window for observing the future technology of China's consumer electronics and smart living," said Tao Xiaonian, chairman of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association.