On September 29, 2026, Unisound and China Railway Shanghai Design Institute Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “CRSDI”) held a strategic cooperation signing ceremony in Shanghai. As the railway and rail transit sectors undergo deeper digital and intelligent transformation, the two companies formally established a long-term strategic partnership. Focusing on AI for railways and rail transit, they will jointly develop technologies, explore application scenarios, formulate standards, share outcomes, and apply for awards. The partnership aims to support China’s development into a transport powerhouse and advance the digital and intelligent ecosystem across the railway and rail transit industry.

Bai Feng, General Manager of CRSDI’s Digital and Intelligent Industries Division, and Li Xubin, General Manager of Unisound’s Smart Transportation Business, signed the strategic cooperation agreement on behalf of their respective companies. The signing was witnessed by Liu Jianhong, Party Secretary and Chairman of CRSDI; Chen Dongju, Vice President of CRSDI; Zhou Xiaobing, Vice President and Chief Engineer of CRSDI; Huang Wei, Founder and CEO of Unisound; and Chen Jisheng, Co-founder of Unisound and President of its Innovation Business Division. The agreement marks a significant expansion of the partnership, moving from individual project delivery to broader strategic collaboration encompassing joint development of industry-level science and technology innovation platforms, formulation of industry standards, and deeper support for the industrial ecosystem.

Under the agreement, the two companies will combine their core strengths to establish a comprehensive framework for collaboration. They will work closely on AI infrastructure, railway-specific datasets and domain-specific models, and intelligent applications across rail transit scenarios. They will also expand capabilities for simulating physical-world data and conduct research on world models. Collaboration will extend to joint technology R&D, coordinated market expansion, interdisciplinary talent development, and commercialization of research outcomes. These efforts will integrate advanced AI technologies throughout the railway business chain, including planning, surveying, design, construction, operations and maintenance, and standards management, creating practical and replicable smart railway benchmarks and supporting high-quality development of the rail transit industry.

01 Building on an Established Partnership to Explore New Paths for AI in Rail Transit

Speaking at the ceremony, Liu Jianhong, Party Secretary and Chairman of CRSDI, said that intelligent and digital transformation is an inevitable direction for the railway industry and a key means of advancing China’s development into a transport powerhouse. With more than 70 years of experience in rail transit, CRSDI offers comprehensive engineering services, extensive resources from frontline application scenarios, and substantial expertise in industry standards. In recent years, it has continued to advance digital and intelligent development, delivering the “Shangtie Smart” AI agent platform, railway safety monitoring systems, smart operations and maintenance solutions, and other digital initiatives. Liu noted that Unisound’s independently developed and controllable foundation model and AI agent technologies, together with its proven implementation capabilities, make it a strong partner for digital and intelligent innovation in railways. The strategic partnership brings together industry engineering expertise and advanced AI technologies. Building on their established cooperation, he expressed hope that the two companies would address real railway business scenarios and operational challenges through joint technology innovation and application deployment, enhance industry services for digital and intelligent transformation, develop interdisciplinary talent, and create benchmark demonstrations of AI in railways to support high-quality, intelligent development of the rail transit industry.

In his remarks, Huang Wei, Founder and CEO of Unisound, reviewed the partnership’s progress and outlined future areas of collaboration. He said that since the two companies began working together on transit-oriented development (TOD) and smart cities in 2023, their cooperation has continued to deepen, fostering strong coordination between their teams. In August 2026, the jointly developed “Shangtie Smart” AI agent platform, an intelligent audit computing platform, successfully passed acceptance testing. Its intelligent audit computing application was successfully deployed and demonstrated results. CRSDI formally recognized Unisound’s ability to tackle technical challenges and the efficiency of its service delivery, laying a solid foundation for deeper strategic cooperation.

Huang emphasized that industrial AI has entered a phase of deeper integration, in which success depends on aligning AI technologies with industry workflows, professional standards, and engineering scenarios. Unisound will continue to contribute its proprietary foundation model and AI agent capabilities. Together with CRSDI, it will extend proven intelligent applications across scenarios covering core activities such as railway design, engineering management, and operations and maintenance services. The two companies will jointly develop railway datasets, domain-specific models, and evaluation frameworks, explore on-site applications of embodied intelligence, and train professionals with expertise in both railways and AI. Through sustained technology innovation, they aim to advance the railway industry’s digital and intelligent transformation.

At the meeting, both companies presented their core strengths and achievements in digital and intelligent development. A key subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corporation, CRSDI operates across railways, rail transit, highways, municipal engineering, and other fields, providing engineering services throughout the project lifecycle. With 14 years of experience in AI, Unisound remains committed to independent innovation across the full technology stack. Built around its proprietary foundation models and AI agent platform, its comprehensive industry AI service system supports a strategy of strengthening foundation models and deepening applications, with technologies deployed in transportation, industry, and other sectors.

02 In-Depth Discussions Define Three Priorities for Cooperation

Following the signing ceremony, the two companies’ core teams held in-depth discussions. Drawing on China’s transport development strategy and the industry’s science and technology innovation priorities, they identified three key areas for cooperation: advanced science and technology innovation, industry standards, and excellence in scientific research. They will deepen collaboration on provincial- and ministerial-level science and technology innovation platforms, infrastructure for industry standards, and industry AI governance capabilities. These efforts aim to expand AI’s role from a tool for individual enterprises into a core source of support for the industry.

03 Three Years of Collaboration Open a New Chapter in Strategic Partnership

Since beginning their initial cooperation in 2023, the two companies have spent three years developing their partnership. From early exploration of TOD and smart city applications to acceptance of the “Shangtie Smart” AI agent platform and successful completion of provincial- and ministerial-level research projects, they have steadily delivered results and built mutual trust. Their relationship has evolved from project partners into long-term strategic partners and co-builders of an industry ecosystem. The signing of the agreement formally establishes a stable, long-term framework for close strategic collaboration, connecting technology R&D, application deployment, standards development, research excellence, and talent development.

As policies supporting AI integration across industries continue to create opportunities, demand for digitalization, standardization, and intelligent transformation in the railway sector continues to grow. With policy support, industry demand, mutual trust, and complementary capabilities creating a favorable window for cooperation, CRSDI and Unisound will draw on their distinct strengths to address real railway business scenarios and industry governance needs. Centered on innovation in independently developed AI technologies, they will jointly expand capabilities for simulating physical-world data, deepen world model research, and pursue integrated innovation in AI for railways and rail transit. By accelerating technology development, expanding applications, developing standards, and commercializing outcomes, they aim to deliver more advanced smart railway solutions, support high-quality development of the rail transit industry, and contribute new AI-driven momentum to China’s development into a transport powerhouse.