On November 4–5, 2026, GTC2026 Global Traffic Conference (Shanghai) will be held in Hall H3 of the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center. This year's show will feature a dedicated 'AI Hardware Zone'gathering exhibitors and professionals in robotics, smart wearables, AI terminals, embodied intelligence, and more. Booth spaces in the zone are now being recruited, and general admission tickets to the conference are available for free for a limited time. Everyone interested in AI hardware going global is welcome to register and attend.
1. AI Hardware Zone: Bringing Fellow Travelers Together
The 'AI Hardware Zone' is a vertical exhibition area specially created by GTC2026 Shanghai for the AI hardware track. It is not a simple collection of booths, but an exclusive venue with a clear theme, precisely targeted audiences, and supporting activities.
The zone covers areas including: robotics, smart wearable devices, AI phones and terminals, smart home hardware, embodied intelligence solutions, and more. From complete-device brands to technical solutions, from product companies to global-expansion service providers, the zone will present the full chain of AI hardware going global in one place.
Here, the booth next to yours might belong to a team making companion robots, and across the aisle might be a brand making smart rings or AI glasses. Visitors come to this area with very clear goals: to see products, find partnerships, and discuss channels—the people who walk in are already here for AI hardware.
The zone will also link up with the conference's AI-related agenda. On the morning of November 5, the main venue's 'AI+ Going Global Summit' will explore in depth the evolution path of AI products from tools to agents, and the commercialization and monetization of AI applications; on the afternoon of November 4, the breakout session 'AI Technology Development Forum' will focus on hardcore technical topics such as AI Agent implementation, AI global-expansion infrastructure, and new paradigms in software production. The exhibition area and the forums echo each other, allowing exhibiting companies to both showcase products and absorb cutting-edge insights.
2. Why Is This Zone Worth a Dedicated Trip for AI Hardware Professionals?
For AI hardware companies, the core goals of attending a trade show boil down to a few things: finding channels, connecting with the supply chain, meeting investors, and boosting brand visibility. The 'AI Hardware Zone' concentrates exactly these needs into one high-density setting.
If you are an AI hardware company and want to exhibit:
The audience the zone attracts is not a generic 'trade show crowd,' but channel partners, buyers, overseas distributors, investment institutions, and global-expansion service providers with clear needs. GTC2026 Shanghai is expected to welcome 1800+ enterprise executives, 120+ quality exhibitors, and 15000+ industry professionals. Companies in the zone can gain more precise exposure while directly connecting with exhibitors across the conference's full chain of payment compliance, localization services, cloud infrastructure, marketing and promotion—solving multiple challenges on the road to going global in one stop.
If you are an AI hardware professional and want to attend:
Here you can see in one trip the latest achievements of today's AI hardware companies going global, and learn what peers are doing and what trends are hot in the market. You can also participate in the AI+ Going Global Summit and the Technology Development Forum, hearing front-line operators break down real cases of AI hardware going global—which markets are scaling, which channels are worth investing in, and what pitfalls exist in compliance and localization. You can also meet potential partners in the zone; whether you're looking for channels or technical solutions, the people here are in the same track as you.
If you are a channel partner, investor, or service provider:
The AI Hardware Zone is your entry point for concentrated access to quality projects, letting you complete project screening and initial outreach in the shortest time. You can experience products on-site, have in-depth conversations with teams, and even directly finalize cooperation intentions.
3. Registration Is Now Open—Multiple Summits and Events Await You
Opening Ceremony Summit & Whale Song Awards Ceremony | Morning of November 4
This is the event that sets the tone for the entire conference and a highlight moment of the global-expansion circle for the whole year. The opening ceremony will bring together government representatives, industry leaders, and top global-expansion companies to jointly interpret the latest trends in the 2026 global market. More importantly,the 8th Whale Song Awards ceremony will be held here. The Whale Song Awards have been held for seven consecutive editions, with a cumulative 750+ companies taking the stage and industry audience reach exceeding 200000+. The nine major awards cover outstanding game companies going global, globally influential short-drama platforms, AI ecosystem technology innovators, influential global-expansion brands, outstanding global-expansion leaders, and more. Who will become this year's benchmark for going global? Revealed live. For brands seeking industry endorsement, this is not just an honor but a chance to be seen by the entire industry.
Game Globalization Summit | Afternoon of November 4
Game globalization is long past the rough era of 'buying users for growth.' Compliance thresholds in Europe and the US have risen, users in Japan and Korea demand demanding localization, and while the Middle East and Latin America offer growth, payment and operating costs remain high. This summit will focus on practical topics such as an industry investment perspective, re-entering regional markets, hybrid monetization optimization, and casual game breakthroughs. Operators from front-line publishers and development teams will break down real cases—not 'what we did right,' but 'what pitfalls we hit and how we climbed out.' If you are looking for the next hit or want to adjust your product strategy, this summit is the lowest-cost external review available.
AI+ Going Global Summit | Morning of November 5
AI going global has moved from 'telling stories' to 'balancing the books.' Companies no longer ask 'what can AI do,' but press on with 'how much money has AI actually saved me' and 'can ROI turn positive.' This summit will revolve around topics such as the market landscape and monetization methods of AI tools and applications, the restructuring of productivity from software-driven to natively intelligent, the new flywheel of non-game growth, the evolution path of AI products from tools to agents, and the revenue growth logic of star AI products.
Should the integration of AI and industry prioritize AI-demand-driven or industry-demand-driven approaches? How can startups build competitive moats to avoid being crushed by big tech and large models? What is the biggest change felt in AI product innovation in the first half of 2026? This is an open discussion with no standard answer, but it might help you avoid detours.
Short Drama Globalization Summit | Afternoon of November 5
After a period of explosive growth, short drama going global is entering a new stage that emphasizes both premium content and localization. Head platforms have validated paid models, but content costs keep rising; newcomers are finding that 'reposting' doesn't work and localized original content is a must. This summit will focus on topics such as breakthrough paths in the short-drama-going-global 3.0 era, how globalized services help strike gold, the path to overseas growth in 2026, localized operations and precise ad placement, and AI restructuring short-drama creation.
AI translation or AI restructuring? With AI content mass production becoming the norm, is short drama going global facing all-around involution or a new global blue ocean? In the next three years, who drops out and who leads? If you are making short dramas or preparing to enter the field, this summit will help you get the numbers straight.
DTC Brand Globalization Special Session | Morning of November 4
As traffic dividends plateau, the core competitiveness of DTC brands is shifting from "customer acquisition" to "retention" and "repeat purchase." This session will focus on topics such as independent site operations, social media e-commerce, brand mindshare building, and user lifecycle management, inviting front-line brand operators to share hands-on experience from 0 to 1. A special case review segment is included, breaking down what Chinese companies going global did right in successfully transforming from "selling products" to "building brands."
AI Technology Development Forum | Afternoon of November 4
Aimed at technical decision-makers and R&D engineers, focusing on the evolution of AI technology itself and its engineering implementation. Topics include global AI technology application trends, commercialization practices of conversational AI Agents, full-stack infrastructure for AI going global, new paradigms of software production in the AI era, AI Agent solutions and implementation practices, the application boundaries of AI video large models, and more. Six experts from leading technology vendors and startups will deliver in-depth talks.
AI Comic Drama Salon & Short Drama Resource Matching Session | Morning of November 5
AI comic drama has been one of the most exciting variables in the content going-global space over the past year. This salon will bring together technology providers, producers, copyright holders, platforms, distributors, and investment and financing institutions. Multiple guest keynote sessions will respectively focus on topics such as full-process AI + comic drama enablement, industrialized collaboration and premium growth, and full-stack solutions empowering creation. The final free networking session lets you, in a single morning, talk with the partners that normally take months of scheduling to bring together.
Global Gaming Matching Session | Afternoon of November 5 (Closed-door, Application-reviewed)
This is the only closed-door event at the conference that requires separate registration and review. Aimed at game developers and publishers, it uses an appointment-scheduling system to ensure every meeting is precise and efficient. Publishers can lock in promising products in advance, and CPs can connect with multiple distribution channels at home and abroad in one go. Past editions have had extremely high success rates, and it is widely recognized in the game going-global circle as the "ceiling of efficiency."
Meanwhile, regular conference tickets are available for free for a limited time. Whether you are an AI hardware entrepreneur, product manager, engineer, or a channel partner, investor, or media professional following AI hardware going global, you can scan the code to claim a ticket and participate free of charge in the two-day exhibition visit and sub-forum agendas. Upgrading to the full conference pass also unlocks all main summit content.
November 4-5, 2026, Hall H3, Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center. AI hardware going global—stop exploring alone. Come to GTC2026 Shanghai, join fellow travelers, put your product in front of people who understand it, and get your partnerships down to what truly matters.
Click to claim your free ticket; see you in Shanghai in November: https://baijing.cn/ieQvm
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