At most tech conferences, AI is still discussed as a future promise. At TCL’s Global Technology Innovation Conference 2025 (TIC 2025) in Guangzhou, the message was different: AI is already operational, measurable, and profitable.

Under the banner “AI for Real,” TCL used its 12th annual TIC event to show how artificial intelligence has moved from pilot projects into the core of its business—powering factories, redefining display manufacturing, and reshaping everyday consumer electronics. The subtext was clear: while much of the industry debates AI strategy, TCL is focused on execution.

Founder and Chairman Li Dongsheng framed the moment bluntly. AI, he said, only matters when it produces tangible value. TCL expects its AI applications to generate more than $140 million in economic benefits in 2025, a figure that puts real weight behind the company’s claims.

This wasn’t an abstract vision. Across manufacturing, displays, home appliances, AR devices, and robotics, TCL laid out a blueprint for how large-scale hardware companies can embed AI deeply—without turning it into marketing theater.

From AI Talk to AI Economics

The theme “AI for Real” reflects a broader shift happening across global manufacturing and consumer tech. As enterprises consolidate data, automate workflows, and race toward AI readiness, the winners are increasingly those that can connect algorithms to physical outcomes.

TCL COO Kevin Wang captured this sentiment during the conference, noting that AI’s real value lies not in “stacking up concepts,” but in delivering measurable results across production, products, and services.

That positioning matters. Many global electronics brands are still experimenting with AI in isolated features—voice assistants here, image processing there. TCL’s approach is more systemic: AI is treated as infrastructure, not an add-on.

Intelligent Manufacturing as a Competitive Weapon

The most compelling evidence of TCL’s AI maturity came from its manufacturing arm, particularly TCL CSOT, the company’s advanced display subsidiary.

At TIC 2025, TCL CSOT unveiled X-Intelligence 3.0, a domain-specific large language model designed explicitly for the display industry. Unlike general-purpose AI models, X-Intelligence 3.0 is trained to reason across highly specialized manufacturing and materials workflows—spanning R&D, production, quality control, and supply chain operations.

The results are already visible:

• 20% improvement in product issue analysis efficiency

• 30% increase in materials development efficiency

For an industry where yield improvements of even a few percentage points can translate into millions of dollars, those numbers are significant.

According to Dr. Yan Xiaolin, CTO of TCL Technology and TCL CSOT, AI-driven automation now spans the entire defect lifecycle—from Auto Defect Classification (ADC) to Auto Defect Repair (ADR). That end-to-end system is already generating more than $7 million in annual revenue, underscoring how AI is becoming a profit center, not just a cost reducer.

Inkjet OLED: From Lab Curiosity to Industrial Scale

Perhaps the most strategically important announcement was TCL CSOT’s progress in Inkjet-Printed OLED (IJP OLED) technology.

Long viewed as promising but difficult to scale, IJP OLED has now crossed a critical threshold. TCL CSOT has moved the technology from lab research to mass production, backed by a $4 billion investment in the world’s first 8.6-generation IJP OLED production line.

This matters for the broader display market. Compared with traditional OLED manufacturing, inkjet printing offers better material efficiency, lower waste, and greater flexibility across screen sizes—advantages that align closely with both cost control and sustainability goals.

TCL CSOT showcased multiple first-of-their-kind products built on this platform, including:

• A 5.65-inch Real Stripe RGB OLED MB Display designed for high-clarity smartphones

• A 28-inch foldable and portable display that expands from laptop size to ultra-wide format

Together, these products signal that IJP OLED is no longer experimental. TCL is positioning it as a mainstream alternative capable of reshaping the economics of premium displays.

APEX: Designing Displays for Humans, Not Just Specs

TCL CSOT framed its display strategy around its APEX philosophy:

• Amazing Display Experience

• Protective of Eye Health

• Eco-friendly to Build and Use

• Unlimited Imaginative Potential

This human-centric framing reflects a broader industry trend. As display performance plateaus in raw resolution and brightness, differentiation increasingly comes from usability, sustainability, and form factor innovation.

By combining AI-driven manufacturing with APEX design principles, TCL is trying to future-proof its display business against commoditization—a challenge that has plagued panel makers for decades.

AI Moves Into the Home—Quietly and Practically

While manufacturing innovations grabbed the headlines, TCL also demonstrated how AI is being woven into everyday consumer products—often in ways users may not even notice.

In home climate control, the TCL FreshIN AI Healthy Fresh Air Series uses AI to optimize airflow and purification based on real-time conditions. The system cuts nighttime energy use by up to 40% while extending deep sleep by 25%, according to TCL.

In the kitchen, AI-powered refrigerators maintain food freshness with ±0.5°C precision cooling, while AI Super Drum washing machines use sensors and TCL’s Fuxi LLM to identify fabric types, load weight, and soil levels—automatically generating custom wash cycles.

Televisions, still TCL’s most visible consumer category, now rely on AI models that interpret complex voice commands and dynamically optimize picture and sound on a frame-by-frame basis. The goal is less about flashy features and more about invisible optimization—making premium performance feel effortless.

AR Glasses and the Push Toward Ambient AI

TCL’s ambitions extend beyond the living room. Through its RayNeo brand, the company is betting on AR glasses as a next-generation AI interface.

The RayNeo X3 Pro is positioned as one of the world’s first AR glasses to support visualized, live AI interaction. Users can ask questions, receive contextual answers, translate languages in real time, and parse visual information on the fly.

This aligns with a broader industry shift toward ambient AI—systems that understand context and respond naturally without forcing users into screens or menus. While competitors like Meta and Apple are pursuing similar goals, TCL’s focus on practical translation and real-world utility suggests a more grounded approach.

AI Companions, Not Just Smart Devices

One of the more unconventional reveals was TCL AiMe, described as the world’s first modular AI companion robot.

Rather than positioning AiMe as a functional appliance, TCL framed it as a family partner capable of emotional recognition and multimodal interaction. Whether consumers are ready for AI companionship at scale remains an open question, but the move signals TCL’s willingness to explore the emotional dimension of AI—an area gaining traction across robotics and consumer AI research.

R&D Scale as a Strategic Moat

None of this experimentation happens without scale. Over the past six years, TCL has invested more than $8.4 billion in R&D, supported by a global network of over 20,000 researchers. The company has filed more than 110,000 patents, spanning IJP OLED, EL-QD, and AI-driven manufacturing systems.

Programs like the $2.8 billion Rising Sun Project further reinforce TCL’s ecosystem strategy, combining academic collaboration, industrial partnerships, and long-term platform investment.

This level of sustained R&D spending places TCL in rare company among global hardware firms—especially as many competitors pull back amid economic uncertainty.

AI Meets Sustainability

A recurring theme throughout TIC 2025 was sustainability. TCL emphasized that its AI strategy is tightly coupled with environmental goals, from renewable materials to energy-efficient manufacturing.

Through its TCLGreen initiative, the company is embedding green principles across product design, supply chains, and factory operations. The argument is pragmatic: AI-driven efficiency is not just good for margins—it’s increasingly essential for meeting global regulatory and climate expectations.

The Bigger Picture

TCL’s “AI for Real” message lands at a critical moment for the tech industry. As AI hype collides with economic reality, companies are being forced to prove ROI, not just ambition.

By tying AI directly to manufacturing yield, product differentiation, energy efficiency, and revenue generation, TCL is making a case that large, hardware-centric companies can still lead in the AI era—provided they focus on integration over spectacle.

The takeaway from TIC 2025 is simple: AI doesn’t need to be louder. It needs to work.

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