SHANGHAI, July 5 Reuters Chinese tech companies, from industry giants to ambitious startups, converged at the World AI Conference in Shanghai this week to showcase their latest innovations and express strong support for the country39;s artificial intelligence sector even as it faces U.S. sanctions.

More than 150 AIrelated products and solutions are being exhibited at the conference, with a small number of foreign firms such as Tesla and Qualcomm joining the predominantly Chinese lineup, according to the event organizer.

The conference has also served as a launchpad for some companies to introduce their latest AI products.

One notable example is SenseTime, which previously focused on facial recognition technology but recently shifted its attention to generative AI following the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI in late 2022.

On Friday, the company unveiled its SenseNova 5.5, its most advanced large language model LLM, which is being touted as a rival to OpenAI39;s GPT4o in areas such as mathematical reasoning.

Despite challenges posed by U.S. sanctions that limit access to advanced chips, many executives at the conference expressed confidence that Chinese companies will continue to thrive in the AI sector.

Zhang Ping39;an, the executive in charge of Huawei39;s cloud computing unit, told a forum that the idea that a shortage of the most advanced artificial intelligence chips will hinder China39;s aim to be a leader in AI needs to be abandoned.

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