Shanghai aims to 'unlock' big ideas of AI City's open approach, policies attract startups, talent and innovation By WANG YING in Shanghai | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2026-04-29 07:39 Overseas expansion Shanghai Westwell Technology is another company situated in Changning that has experienced rapid overseas expansion in the past year. The company received an order placed by the United Kingdom's Hutchison Ports' Port of Felixstowe last September for the second batch of 34 autonomous trucks, which will double its fleet and cement its position as a leader in port automation, according to a Xinhuanet.com report. Felixstowe is one of the busiest container ports in the UK. The first batch of 34 autonomous trucks deployed in 2025 has been operating at the port's Trinity Terminal alongside conventional trucks, marking Europe's first successful use of autonomous trucks in mixed-traffic operation, the report said. "As customers focus more on the effectiveness of application in global logistics scenarios, including ports and airports, our unmanned vehicles have seen a clear increase in repurchase rates," said Tan Limin, chairman of Shanghai Westwell Technology, a logistics solutions provider specializing in AI and autopilot technology. With more Chinese companies going global, the competition is shifting to gaining advantages in innovation, research and development, service quality, and supply chain enhancement, added Tan. Both Black Lake Technologies and Shanghai Westwell Technology are among nearly 900 innovative enterprises in Silicon Alley's 1.48-square-kilometer core area. Three science and technology innovation platforms were officially unveiled on April 17 in Changning, tasked with facilitating the area's transformation into a "global urban district" featuring borderless science and technology innovation integration. The vehicles to drive innovation — including Digisilicon, an industrial incubation ecosystem platform that integrates AI agents and embodied intelligence, and the East Hongqiao International Youth Sci-tech Center — are expected to further support the