At the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, China Southern Power Grid unveiled a suite of digital and intelligent technologies aimed at strengthening energy collaboration across the region. The showcase included 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. These tools signal a shift toward deeper technological integration and joint innovation between China and ASEAN countries, particularly in the energy sector.
The Lao-language LLM has already been deployed at Electricité du Laos Transmission Company Limited (EDL-T), where it rapidly analyzes inspection images. After optimization for Laos' mountainous and rainforest terrain, the model processed 26,000 drone inspection images across four transmission lines, identifying over 3,600 equipment defects. This demonstrates how AI can overcome geographical and linguistic barriers to improve operational efficiency and grid reliability. Liu Ying, general manager of the Digitalization Department at Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd., noted that the company is building multilingual professional corpora for the power sector, covering Laos, Vietnam, and Malaysia. By leveraging the DaWatt foundation model, they are developing energy and power models tailored to ASEAN languages and real-world applications.
Talent development is another pillar 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 across two cohorts, focusing on an industry-university training model with practical experience. This initiative addresses the growing demand for skilled professionals who can navigate cross-border energy projects. Moreover, cooperation is 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 aim to improve power supply reliability.
To tackle language barriers in technical exchanges, Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. developed an AI-powered translation platform backed by a specialized database of terminology for over 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 for Chinese and overseas engineers, the system enabled one-click generation of bilingual course materials and real-time speech translation, facilitating communication on highly specialized topics. Such tools are critical for seamless collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. has also created an international talent pool covering management, technical, and skilled personnel, with 24 hours of courses on international affairs and 20 short-form video courses. Sun Xiaohua, deputy director of the Human Resources Department, stated, "This year, we will also explore joint postgraduate programs with universities in ASEAN countries." These efforts underscore a long-term commitment to building human capital and fostering mutual understanding.
Looking ahead, the company plans to advance a development model featuring "R&D in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, integration in Guangxi, and application in ASEAN." It will continue expanding 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. The implications are significant: by integrating AI, talent development, and cross-border innovation, China and ASEAN are positioning themselves to lead in sustainable energy and digital transformation, setting a precedent for regional collaboration in the energy sector.
