China to integrate AI, digital twin technologies into Three Gorges waterway project

China's new Three Gorges waterway project will combine expanded shipping infrastructure with digital traffic management, as authorities seek to increase cargo capacity and improve efficiency along the Yangtze River.

Construction began on Monday in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province, making it the first major infrastructure project launched during the country's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

Transportation authorities plan to integrate artificial intelligence (AI), big data and digital twin technology into vessel traffic management and ship-lock operations at the mammoth Three Gorges hub on China's largest river.

A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical system that can mirror real-world operations, allowing operators to monitor traffic, simulate different scenarios and improve efficiency.

According to Wang Hui, an official with the Ministry of Transport, the technologies are expected to improve vessel passage through the hub while helping reduce logistics costs.

The Three Gorges new waterway project is designed to significantly expand transport capacity along one of China's busiest inland shipping routes. Once operational, the annual cargo throughput capacity of the Three Gorges hub will reach 336 million tonnes, nearly double its current capacity of about 170 million tonnes, according to Niu Xinqiang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The project will also strengthen direct river-sea shipping. Upon completion, 10,000-tonne vessels will be able to travel directly to Chongqing Municipality in southwest China, allowing cargo transported from western China by road or rail to be loaded directly onto river-sea vessels.

Officials said the project will support the development of major Yangtze River ports, including the shipping hubs of Wuhan and Chongqing, while promoting a greener and lower-carbon transportation system.

The project also incorporates ecological protection measures, including fish passages and construction methods designed to reduce impacts on aquatic species.

Spanning 11 provincial-level regions from western China to the eastern coast, the Yangtze River Economic Belt accounts for nearly half of the country's GDP and foreign trade.

It is home to major manufacturing clusters in sectors such as metallurgy, electronics and automobiles, while emerging industries including AI, biomedicine and new energy continue to expand.

(With input from Xinhua, cover via VCG)