Alibaba Announces 2026 Apsara Conference in Hangzhou Focusing on Agentic and Physical AI
Alibaba has officially announced that the 2026 Apsara Conference will take place in Hangzhou from September 22 to 24, under the theme 'Intelligence Goes Beyond.' The event will center on Agentic AI, showcasing a complete technical chain from chips and cloud infrastructure to model capabilities and Agentic applications. This conference highlights the industry's shift from digital-only generative AI toward autonomous, goal-oriented AI agents and physical AI systems like robotics. As one of China's largest tech events, it will signal Alibaba's strategic direction in integrating cloud computing with embodied and space intelligence. The event will feature over 50,000 square meters of exhibition space and five themed pavilions, including a dedicated 'Space Computing & Physical AI' hall exploring robotics. Over 2,000 global industry leaders will participate across three main forums and more than 140 sub-forums.
## BACKGROUND
Agentic AI refers to autonomous AI agents that can pursue goals and use tools with minimal human intervention. Physical AI, often overlapping with embodied AI, integrates AI models with physical hardware like sensors and actuators to interact directly with the real world. Originally started in 2009 as a local web developer summit, the Apsara Conference has evolved into Alibaba's flagship annual showcase for cloud computing and AI breakthroughs.