Shanghai, April 2, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Against the backdrop of AI technology rapidly becoming mainstream, 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/) go live simultaneously. This year’s competition is led by authoritative institutions including 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 whole-chain empowerment system that focuses on technological innovation and industrial application of AI, and comprehensively accelerates the transformation of artificial intelligence into real productivity.
The first Digiloong GAIC was successfully held in 2025. With its pioneering event positioning and industrial core value, it achieved fruitful results: more than 150 high-quality innovative teams from all over the world enthusiastically participated and a total of 120 valid works were collected. After a rigorous assessment, 11 winning teams stood out and won 6 prizes. The competition not only discovered a number of young entrepreneurial forces deeply involved in vertical scenarios, but also promoted the exploration of the commercial landing of AI technology. Among them, Haiyi Interactive Entertainment, a winning team, received strategic investments from Century Huatong with its high-quality project, and the Gamercury team received joint investments from the Shanghai Angel Club, becoming typical examples of the competition that enables industrial application and lays a solid industrial foundation for the upgrade of the second competition.
This year’s competition has established a complete schedule: the submission period runs from April 2 to May 31, opening the registration channel for global AI innovation teams and developers; the preliminary selection of works will take place from June 1 to 15, with the first round of professional screening of all participating works taking place; the reselection and finalist period runs from June 16 to June 30, where projects that pass preliminary selection will be further assessed to determine the list of shortlisted teams for the offline assessment; the offline assessment of shortlisted works will be conducted in mid to late July for offline professional competition; the awards ceremony will take place at ChinaJoy 2026 on July 31 to announce the winners of various awards and commend outstanding achievements and teams in AI innovation.
In terms of track design, closely following the current hotspots of AI industry development, this year’s competition has expanded its tracks based on deepening the original core tracks, officially divided into three main tracks: AI Games, AI Applications and AI Agents, which fully cover the main application areas of current artificial intelligence technology.
Regional empowerment has become a major highlight of this year’s Digiloong GAIC. The organizer will work with multiple partners to organize signature offline activities in three cities: Hangzhou, Macau and Shanghai, build a regional innovation empowerment network, activate the AI innovation vitality of various regions, help expand the development of AI industry innovation 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 rich and diverse online live salon format of the first competition will be retained, focusing on the theme ‘AI+’ and project roadshows for participating teams.
Compared to the first competition, the second Digiloong GAIC pays more attention to post-competition incubation and long-term support of participating projects. In addition to cash rewards, it has created a diversified signature reward system, providing participating teams with comprehensive empowerment of exposure, capital and technology resources, allowing high-quality innovative projects to continue to receive development support after the competition. The core feature reward of this competition is “one registration, two competition entries”. The competition is closely linked to 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 dual exposure opportunities, multiple policy supports and rich industry resources for participating teams. The “Intelligent Future +” trajectory focuses on the deep integration of artificial intelligence and digital cultural and creative industries, which is highly consistent with the positioning of the Digiloong GAIC. The linking of the two competitions provides a broader display platform and commercial landing pad for participating teams.
In terms of industry-investment matchmaking, the competition can provide outstanding participating teams with one-on-one communication opportunities with senior executives, allowing teams to receive professional guidance on industrial development and project optimization suggestions. At the same time, Century Huatong’s investment department will provide special investment liaison services for high-end projects, and cooperate with well-known venture capital institutions to build an exclusive and efficient investment matchmaking channel for participating teams, helping projects obtain financing support. In addition, all high-quality participating projects will be included in the competitive resource pool, thereby obtaining long-term industrial resource connection services, continuously enjoying the empowerment dividends of competition, and realizing the long-term development of the projects.
Since its birth, the Digiloong GAIC has been committed to building a platform for AI innovation and industrial application, and helping cutting-edge AI technology break through and take off. The launch of the second competition is an important measure for Century Huatong to continue its push in the AI industry and promote inclusive technology development. With the Digiloong GAIC as a link, Century Huatong will continue to gather global AI innovative 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 fully help participating teams grow rapidly.
Currently, China is at the forefront of global AI application innovation, while the overseas market also offers many innovation opportunities in segmented areas. The 2nd Digiloong GAIC will continue to overtake the competition as the main carrier, connect global AI innovation sources, promote the accelerated landing of breakthrough 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.
