July 11–12, 2026 • Shanghai, China

AI Engineer
Shanghai

Where China’s AI frontier meets the world’s best researchers.

500 curated attendees — half from China’s top AI labs, half international researchers — for two days of deep technical content on LLM research and robotics.

Talks will be in English or Mandarin with live translation provided for both languages.
Request an Invite →Learn More
500
Curated attendees
2
Days
50/50
China / International
Invite
Only
About the conference
Where research meets
production

China is at the frontier of AI — DeepSeek, Qwen, Unitree, and the world’s largest autonomous vehicle fleet. AI Engineer Shanghai brings this ecosystem together with the global research community, right after ICML 2026.

Live demos, candid conversations about what’s actually working, and the cross-border connections that only happen when you put these communities in the same room.

Not a trade show. The people pushing the state of the art, sharing hard-earned lessons and building relationships across the most important axis in AI.

Presented byMicrosoft China

From past AI Engineer flagship events

Focus areas
Robotics &
LLM Research
01

LLM Research

How the teams behind frontier LLMs are tackling scaling laws, reasoning, alignment, and long-context architectures — and what’s actually working in efficient inference.

Reasoning & planningLong-context architecturesAlignment researchEfficient inference
02

Robotics & Embodied AI

Foundation models crossing into the physical world. Hear from teams building VLA systems, humanoid platforms, and sim-to-real pipelines that actually transfer.

VLA modelsHumanoid systemsSim-to-real transferAgentic control loops
03

Multi-Agent Systems

How teams are shipping multi-agent systems in production — from MCP protocols and tool use to the context engineering that makes agents reliable.

Agent architecturesMCP protocolsTool useContext engineering
Speakers
The researchers and engineers
shaping the conversation

We’re assembling a lineup from China’s leading AI labs and top international research groups. Expect talks from the teams behind DeepSeek, Qwen, Unitree, and more — alongside frontier researchers from the US, Europe, and Asia.

Speaker applications and invitations opening soon.

Apply to speak →
Venue
Shanghai,
China

Venue details announcing soon. The conference will be held at a central Shanghai location with easy access from Pudong International Airport.

Join the waitlist for venue details →
Sponsors
Partner
with us

AI Engineer Shanghai puts your brand in front of 500 curated AI researchers and engineers — half from China’s top labs, half international. Limited sponsorship packages available.

Sponsorship inquiry →
Presented byMicrosoft China
Getting there
ICML →
Shanghai

ICML 2026 runs July 6–11 at the COEX Convention Center in Seoul, South Korea. AI Engineer Shanghai starts the day ICML workshops wrap — fly from Seoul to Shanghai on the morning of July 11 (under 3 hours direct) and continue the conversation with a different crowd.

Not attending ICML? You can also fly direct to Shanghai from major US, European, and Asian hubs. Shanghai Pudong (PVG) has direct flights from SFO, LAX, JFK, London, Frankfurt, and many more.

ICML 2026

July 6–11, 2026

COEX Convention Center, Seoul

Main conference July 7–9, workshops July 10–11. The premier machine learning conference — over 10,000 researchers expected.

ICML 2026 website →

Seoul → Shanghai

~2.5 hours direct flight

Multiple daily flights (Incheon → Pudong)

Korean Air, China Eastern, and Asiana operate frequent direct flights between Incheon (ICN) and Shanghai Pudong (PVG). Book early for best fares.

Visa information
Entry requirements for
China
US

United States

US citizens are not on China’s 30-day visa-free list, but there are two good options depending on your travel route:

Option A: 240-hour visa-free transit

If you’re coming via ICML in Seoul (or any third country), you qualify for China’s 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit. Just book an onward flight out of China (e.g. Shanghai → US or Shanghai → anywhere) and you’ll be stamped in at the border — no advance visa application needed.

Covers Shanghai and 23 other provinces. Valid passport + onward ticket to a third country required. No fee.

Option B: Chinese visa (direct from US)

Flying directly from the US to Shanghai and back? You’ll need a Chinese visa (L-type for tourism or M-type for business). Apply at your nearest Chinese embassy or consulate, or use the COVA online system. Processing takes 4–7 business days; fee is ~$185 for US citizens. COVA

Pro tip: structure your trip with a stop in another country (e.g. Japan, Korea, or Hong Kong) to use the free 240-hour transit option instead.

EU

Most European Countries

30-day visa-free

Citizens of 35 European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, UK, Switzerland, and more) enjoy 30-day visa-free entry to China until December 31, 2026. No advance visa application needed. Just arrive with a valid passport.

Covers tourism, business, and transit. Full list includes all major EU/EEA countries plus the UK, Switzerland, and Norway.

KR

South Korea (for ICML attendees)

90-day visa-free

South Korean passport holders can enter China visa-free for up to 90 days. No advance application or special documentation required beyond a valid passport.

KR

Entering South Korea (for ICML)

K-ETA or visa-free

US citizens need a K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorization, ~$10) for stays up to 90 days. Most EU/EEA citizens can enter South Korea visa-free for 90 days. Apply for K-ETA online at k-eta.go.kr at least 72 hours before departure. k-eta.go.kr

Visa policies can change. Always check with your country’s embassy and the latest entry requirements before traveling. Information accurate as of April 2026.