On November 6th, as a key event marking the 10th anniversary of the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, the 2025 "International Internet Town" Launch Event was grandly held at the Shui Tian Ge of Yunzhou Guest Center in Wuzhen, Tongxiang. At the event, Academician Li Jun of the Chinese Academy of Engineering released the construction plan for the Tongxiang Intelligent Connected Vehicle Digital-Intelligent Technology Research Institute. Co-founded by Beijing Yipu Hua'an, China Unicom Smart Connecttion Technology Limted(CUSC), and Shanghai Digauto, the institute aims to provide digital-intelligent empowerment for the development of intelligent connected vehicles that are safer and more trustworthy, more scenario-generalized, more traffic-friendly, more agile and intelligent, and more autonomously evolving. With the mission of "building an advanced data-driven engine for R&D, driving safety, and test evaluation of autonomous driving systems — AI based ADS-Data Engine", it will promote the construction of Digital Tongxiang, contribute to Tongxiang's efforts in building a highland for digital-intelligent technology innovation in intelligent connected vehicles, support the China University Alliance for Digital-Intelligent Innovation in Intelligent Connected Vehicles, and serve Tongxiang's "15th Five-Year Plan" and "Artificial Intelligence +" initiatives.

On the same day, the "Closed-Door Meeting of the University Alliance for Digital-Intelligent Innovation in Intelligent Connected Vehicles" was held, accelerating the agglomeration of various innovative resources in Tongxiang. Hosted by Gong Weijie, Secretary-General of the China Society of Automotive Engineers and the China Intelligent Connected Vehicles Industry Innovation Alliance, the meeting featured speeches by university representatives from the alliance's first batch of invited member units — including Li Shengbo from Tsinghua University, Chang Yi from Jilin University, Cheng Hong from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Yu Haiyang from Beihang University, Zhang Yanyong from the University of Science and Technology of China, Li Guoqi from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chen Hong from Tongji University, Zhao Jian from Dalian University of Technology, Peking University, and Beijing University of Technology — serving as experts of the R&D and Innovation Committee. Industrial representatives such as Tan Minqiang from China Automotive Innovation and Intelligence Technology, Li Chuanhai from Geely, Zhou Shiying from FAW Research Institute, Yang Dongsheng from BYD, He Jugang from Changan, Lu Long from NIO, Fu Bin from Voyah, Min Zhaoyuan from China Merchants Vehicle Research Institute, Wei Jiyuan from SAIC Group, and Zhang Ranmao from China Unicom Intelligent Network spoke as leaders of the Demand and Development Committee. Academician Li Jun put forward earnest expectations and guiding opinions, and proposed hosting a sub-forum at the 2026 World Internet Conference, tentatively titled "Digital-Intelligent Technology Innovation Drives the High-Quality Development of Intelligent Connected Vehicles". In his concluding speech, he emphasized that the alliance will fully tap into and leverage Tongxiang's industrial and data advantages to jointly build an original artificial intelligence model, which may be named the "Wuzhen Model".

As an important host and partner, Digauto co-organized the meeting. Li Xiaoying, General Manager; Lü Jiming, Technical Director; Rainer Hoffmann, COO ; and Wang Wei, Deputy General Manager, attended the event.

The meeting was a complete success. Special thanks to all members of the Digauto Conference Affairs Team: Dong Yunqing, Mao Fang, Wang Liping, Liu Bo, and Hao Qingchun!

Why Tongxiang? Though a county-level city, Tongxiang boasts the most complete intelligent connected vehicle industrial chain among county-level regions in China. In the words of Wang Jian, Secretary of the Tongxiang Municipal Party Committee, Tongxiang is an "amplifier" for industrial development and a fertile ground skilled at "creating something out of nothing" to realize dreams. The successful establishment of the University Alliance for Digital-Intelligent Innovation in Intelligent Connected Vehicles is not only a major event for collaborative innovation in industry technology but also an opportunity for Tongxiang to actively embrace the transformation of the intelligent vehicle industry.

Behind this layout lies Digauto's solid accumulation of five years of deep involvement in Tongxiang's intelligent connected field, with each step accurately aligning with the rhythm of regional industrial development.

1. 2020: Obtaining Authorization to Anchor in a Fertile Industrial Land

In accordance with the "Implementation Rules for the Jiaxing Intelligent Connected Vehicle Road Test Management Measures (Trial)" (Jia Jingxin Shuchan [2019] No. 127), and after review and approval by the Jiaxing Autonomous Driving Road Test Management Joint Working Group, Digauto successfully obtained the qualification of "Jiaxing Autonomous Driving Road Test Third-Party Authorized Institution". This official authorization allowed Digauto to formally anchor in Tongxiang's intelligent connected industrial highland, launch its strategic layout in the region, and lay a solid compliance foundation for subsequent road test-related businesses and integration into the regional industrial ecosystem.

2. 2023: Qualification Upgrade to Consolidate Physical Foundations

Taking advantage of the industrial momentum brought by the World Internet Conference, Digauto successfully secured the operation qualification for the Wuzhen Canal Intelligent Connected Vehicle Safety Performance Proving Ground. This breakthrough enabled Digauto to build a physical support for technology landing, further improved its hardware layout in the intelligent connected test service field, and complemented the third-party road test authorization obtained in 2020. It provided key guarantees for core businesses such as vehicle testing, scenario verification, and technology iteration, accelerating the transformation of technology from theory to practice.

3. 2025: Alliance Co-construction to Achieve a Key Leap

At the "International Internet Town" Launch Event, Digauto jointly established the Zhejiang Yipu Digital-Intelligent Technology Research Institute with Beijing Yipu Hua'an and CUSC, and completed strategic cooperation agreements with CMVR and China Automotive Innovation and Intelligence Technology, achieving an important leap in its development history. The new research institute focuses on core businesses such as data processing, model training, and vehicle testing, and shoulders the mission of "building Tongxiang into a source of automotive intelligent innovation".

From the "host of the World Internet Conference" a decade ago to today's "highland of intelligent industrial innovation", Tongxiang has gathered more than 60 intelligent connected vehicle enterprises and over 200 supporting enterprises, forming a complete industrial ecosystem. Through its three-step strategy of "compliance authorization — physical landing — ecological co-construction", Digauto has deeply integrated into regional development. It has not only witnessed Tongxiang's digital transformation but will also contribute significantly to the large-scale development of the regional intelligent connected industry with its own technological and resource advantages.