The 2026 edition of the Smart City Summit & Expo and Net Zero City Expo have officially kicked off today, and the scale is larger than ever.
Hosting over 2,250 booths and more than 70 forums from 174 cities across 53 countries, on top of thousands of global professionals and startups, this is the year where cross-domain AI really takes center stage, connecting everything from city infrastructure to enterprise solutions through dedicated zones like AI City, AI Robots, and AI+, according to organizers Taipei Computer Association and the Taiwan Smart City Solutions Alliance alongside government bodies.
The main highlight also comes from the exhibition of the AI CITY Pavilion, which is the world’s 1st. Led by the alliance and companies like ASUS and Foxconn to demonstrate how sovereign AI should be done, everything in this big booth is about cities owning and managing their own AI systems end-to-end. So instead of fragmented solutions, you get a full stack – from infrastructure and platforms all the way to real-world services.
Another interesting angle is robotics, as smart robots are expected to become a core part of these AI-driven cities. There’s a whole section focused on things like service robots, autonomous mobile robots, and even disaster-response machines, all tied into real-world applications like healthcare, logistics, and public safety.
With the smart city AI market is projected to jump from about $50 billion in 2025 to over $460 billion by 2034, this year’s theme ties into the trend by offering a new “City Vision in Action” initiative that turns real city problems into collaboration opportunities between governments and tech companies.
And then there’s a softer, but kind of thoughtful touch – the event even partnered with Taiwan Tea Corporation to create a tea experience zone centered around ESG and sustainability, blending tech with cultural storytelling, which is a pretty unique way to remind people that smart cities aren’t just about infrastructure, but also about lifestyle and identity.
The event is happening at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 2 from March 17 to 20, before moving down south to Kaohsiung, and across the exhibition, 13 cities in Taiwan are showcasing what they’ve been building in terms of smart and net-zero initiatives, with additional forums like the AI CITY International Forum that dives more into how AI is evolving from a tool into something much bigger.
