BARCELONA, Spain, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese companies are at the forefront of the global acceleration towards an "IQ era" of Intelligence-Driven Infrastructure, a top digital expert said at the 2026 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona this week.
Luigi Gambardella, president of the Brussels-based international digital association ChinaEU, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua that China is leading the way in building cognitive networks and operationalizing artificial intelligence (AI) at scale.
This year's MWC, themed "IQ Era," highlights the deep convergence of telecommunications, AI, robotics, cloud computing, and next-generation network technologies. Gambardella noted that the event marks the global communications industry's transition from the "Connectivity Era" to the "IQ Era."
"In the era of intelligent infrastructure, competition is no longer about who builds the faster networks or the broader coverage," he said. "It is about building networks with cognitive capabilities. Future digital advantage will increasingly depend on the ability to operationalize AI at scale, turning innovation into systems that are deployable, reliable, and repeatable."
Chinese companies at MWC 2026 are not showcasing isolated technological breakthroughs, Gambardella said, but integrated architectures.
"AI is being deeply integrated into network systems," he explained. "Networks are becoming capable of automatically optimizing resources, anticipating disruptions and reducing downtime, improving energy efficiency through intelligent orchestration, and moving increasing amounts of computing power to the edge, closer to factories, logistics hubs, ports, and critical infrastructure."
Across the exhibition floor, he noted, cloud platforms underpin industrial AI at scale. Next-generation optical communication companies point to the next-generation technology required for secure, low-latency data flows, and humanoid robotics companies demonstrate embodied intelligence designed for deployment in industrial manufacturing scenarios.
"These examples demonstrate a growing ability to industrialize innovation efficiently into systematic solutions," he said. "The advantage lies in turning the innovation-deployment-scale cycle into a durable capability."
Addressing the integration of AI into the real economy, Gambardella said: "In the IQ era, artificial intelligence moves beyond software and directly into the physical world, often described as 'Physical AI'. Intelligence embedded within infrastructure enables industrial automation, predictive maintenance, real-time quality control, and optimized logistics."
He attributed China's strong performance in this transition to its large market scale, dense real-world application scenarios, and vertically integrated industrial ecosystem.
Regarding prospects for China-Europe cooperation, Gambardella noted that Europe's twin digital and green transitions require smarter infrastructure to raise productivity, lower energy costs, and strengthen supply chain resilience. "The deployment experience and technological maturity that many Chinese companies bring to Barcelona can help bridge the gap between experimentation and measurable economic impact," he said.
MWC 2026 is not just a showcase for cutting-edge technologies, but also an important platform for discussing the future of digital infrastructure, he added.
Marking the 20th anniversary of the event's presence in Barcelona, this year's MWC has drawn around 2,900 exhibitors, sponsors and partners. According to organizers, a China Pavilion has been set up at the congress for the first time, featuring major Chinese companies including China Mobile, China Unicom, Huawei, ZTE, Honor and Xiaomi. ■
