Twenty groundbreaking innovations spanning quantum computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and space technology were honored Monday at the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Awards in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province.
Known as the WIC Awards for Pioneering Science and Technology, this year's honors drew over 430 valid submissions from applicants across 43 countries and regions.
The winners include "Jiuzhang 4," a Chinese photonic quantum computing prototype, intelligent bionic hands developed by BrainCo - a leading Chinese company in non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, and China's SDGSAT-1, the world's first science satellite dedicated to monitoring progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
"We divided the leading achievements into three categories: basic research, critical technologies, and engineering applications. They precisely cover the three important stages in the chain of scientific and technological innovation. We will step up technological innovation in AI and the internet, striving to apply more of our innovative achievements globally," said Wu Hequan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Inaugurated in 2023 and widely regarded as a barometer of global technological innovation, the WIC Awards for Pioneering Science and Technology recognize the year's most pioneering achievements in the internet sector, and to foster global exchange and cooperation in the field of internet technology.
The awards ceremony came one day ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2026 WIC Wuzhen Summit. The four-day summit has drawn policymakers, tech leaders, and researchers from around the world to discuss the future of the digital economy and global internet governance.
2026 WIC Wuzhen Summit honors 20 game-changing tech projects
