China Southern Power Grid (CSG) unveiled a suite of artificial intelligence (AI) innovations at the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, signaling a significant leap in energy cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The technologies, including the DaWatt Lao Language Large Language Model (LLM) for the Energy and Power Sector V2.0 and the Flexible Grayscale Intelligent Monitoring & Analysis Platform for power system cybersecurity, underscore the growing role of digitalization and intelligent systems in addressing regional energy challenges.
The Lao-language LLM has been deployed at Electricité du Laos Transmission Company Limited (EDL-T), where it automates the analysis of thousands of inspection images. Optimized for Laos' mountainous and rainforest terrain, the model processed 26,000 drone inspection images across four transmission lines and identified over 3,600 equipment defects. This capability not only accelerates maintenance but also enhances grid reliability, a critical factor for economic development in the region.
Liu Ying, general manager of the Digitalization Department at Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of CSG, emphasized the company's efforts to build multilingual professional corpora for the power sector, covering ASEAN countries such as Laos, Vietnam, and Malaysia. By leveraging the DaWatt foundation model, CSG is developing energy and power models tailored to ASEAN languages and real-world applications, facilitating smoother technical exchanges and operational efficiency.
Talent development is another cornerstone of this cooperation. The China-ASEAN Institute of Energy, jointly established by Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. and Guangxi University, has enrolled 53 students from ASEAN countries in two cohorts. The institute is pioneering an industry-university training model that emphasizes practical experience, aiming to cultivate a skilled workforce capable of driving the region's energy transition.
Cooperation is also evolving from one-way training to joint innovation. Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. and the Royal Academy of Cambodia have established a laboratory for artificial intelligence and safety equipment, while peer-to-peer exchanges with Electricité du Laos focus on improving power supply reliability. These initiatives reflect a shift toward collaborative problem-solving and knowledge sharing.
To overcome language barriers in cross-border technical exchanges, Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. has developed an AI-powered translation platform backed by a specialized database containing terminology for more than 1,800 types of power equipment. The platform supports accurate translation between Chinese and English, Chinese and Lao, and Chinese and Vietnamese. At a recent training program, the system enabled one-click generation of bilingual course materials and real-time speech translation, helping engineers navigate highly specialized terminology. For more information on CSG's initiatives, visit China Southern Power Grid.
Supporting these efforts, Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. has established an international talent pool covering management, technical, and skilled personnel, and developed 24 hours of courses on international affairs plus 20 short-form video courses. "This year, we will also explore joint postgraduate programs with universities in ASEAN countries," said Sun Xiaohua, deputy director of the Human Resources Department at Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd.
Looking ahead, Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. plans to advance a development model featuring "R&D in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, integration in Guangxi, and application in ASEAN." The company will continue expanding its multilingual power-sector corpora and explore a "Token Goes Global" model for power-sector AI, with computing resources and models based in Guangxi while knowledge services are delivered overseas. This strategy aims to create new forms of China-ASEAN energy cooperation and support the green development of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0, potentially setting a precedent for regional collaboration in the digital age.
