SenseTime and ECADI Forge Strategic "AI + Architecture" Partnership, Celebrating 70 Years of Architectural Excellence with Next-Generation AI Models

In 2024, China’s construction industry surpassed RMB 32 trillion in total output, with architectural drawings serving as the universal language that connects every stage of the building lifecycle.

In the past, these complex drawings posed a significant challenge for AI. Today, multimodal large models capable of directly "reading" and understanding architectural drawings are bringing transformative changes to improve the quality and efficiency across the entire building lifecycle. The convergence of "design intelligence" and "AI intelligence" is accelerating the digital transformation of the construction industry.

Recently, SenseTime, a global leader in artificial intelligence, and Arcplus’ East China Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd. (ECADI), a leading enterprise in China's architectural design industry, signed a strategic cooperation agreement at SenseTime’s office in Shanghai.

This strategic alliance aims to integrate SenseTime's leading AI technology, particularly in its SenseNova large model domain, with ECADI's deep engineering expertise. Together, they will explore the deep application of AI throughout the entire building lifecycle, applying disruptive innovation to lead industry transformation.

Senior leaders from both parties attended and witnessed the signing ceremony, including Gu Weihua, Party Secretary and Chairman of Arcplus (back row, second from the left); Shen Lidong, Deputy Party Secretary and President (back row, first from the left); Shu Zhenghong, Vice President (back row, first from the right); and Xu Li, SenseTime's Chairman of the Board and CEO (back row, second from the right). Niu Bin, Deputy Party Secretary, General Manager, and Chief Architect of ECADI (front row, left), and Li Sen, Head of SenseTime's Digital Research Institute (front row, right), signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations.

ECADI, one of China's earliest and largest comprehensive Class-A architectural design institutes, is also one of the most influential design institutes in China. For over 70 years, ECADI has consistently served national development strategies, adhered to an internationally advanced and domestically leading development positioning, while being committed to providing innovative design and integrated consulting localization services for high-quality urban and rural development.

ECADI’s portfolio spans a wide range of vertical sectors, including significant contributions to the design of China’s super-tall mixed-use developments:

Of the 15 buildings in China that exceed 500 meters in height, ECADI was involved in the design or consultancy for 11.

Of the buildings exceeding 400 meters, ECADI was involved in the design or consultancy for 31.

Of the buildings exceeding 200 meters, ECADI designed 180.

(A list of ECADI's super-tall developments are as below)

At the signing ceremony, Gu Weihua, Party Secretary and Chairman of Arcplus, said: "Artificial intelligence is the core engine driving the future development of the construction industry. For over 70 years, Arcplus’ ECADI has always been at the forefront of technological innovation and has proactively planned the integration of AI with the industry. SenseTime's innovative capabilities and leading position in AI large models and infrastructure technology are widely recognized. We look forward to deepening cooperation at a higher level through this partnership, focusing on cutting-edge areas, leveraging complementary strengths, jointly exploring intelligent solutions that truly understand design and serve the industry, and collectively enhancing the originality and international competitiveness of Chinese architectural design."

Xu Li, Chairman of the Board and CEO of SenseTime, said: "AI is empowering industries with unprecedented depth and scale, and significantly enhancing productivity. SenseTime's SenseNova multimodal large model possesses inherent advantages in understanding complex scenarios such as architectural drawings. Partnering with a leading institution like ECADI, with its deep industry expertise, enables SenseTime to precisely 'drip-irrigate' AI technology into every aspect of the architectural design and operational process, co-creating more intelligent, greener, and more resilient cities of the future."

Four Pillars of Deep Collaboration to Jointly Explore Industrialization Pathways

Under the agreement, the two parties will engage in deep collaboration across multiple areas that revolve around the core concept of "AI + Architecture":

Co-developing Multimodal Large Models for Engineering Drawings: Integrate SenseTime's SenseNova large model technology with ECADI's engineering data to jointly research and develop industry-specific large models capable of deeply understanding and processing complex engineering drawings. This will enable intelligent drawing review, analysis, and assisted generation, enhancing quality and efficiency across the full lifecycle of a project.

Co-creating an AI Agent Platform for the Construction Industry: Address complex industry demands by creating a robust suite of Multi-disciplinary Collaborative (MCP) tools and an application platform for architectural design. This will achieve intelligent upgrades throughout the entire process, from project planning and conceptual design to construction drawing delivery.

Jointly Developing Industry-Standard Products and an Industrial Ecosystem: Collaborate on key technological breakthroughs and project proposals, transforming collaboration outcomes into industry-standard products and solutions. They will build an open "AI + Architecture" industrial ecosystem to lower the barriers for applying AI technology in the industry.

Jointly Exploring Commercial Application Scenarios: Focus on key areas such as urban regeneration and historical/cultural heritage preservation to explore viable business models. They will apply innovative technologies to real-world projects, contributing to protecting urban cultural heritage and promoting the high-quality development of the construction and housing industry.

This cooperation closely aligns with the new direction of "improving quality and efficiency of existing stock" established at the 2025 Central Urban Work Conference, which aims to achieve the new goal of "building innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civilized, and smart modern cities for the people."

Both parties also expressed a shared vision for broader cooperation across multiple emerging fields. This collaboration marks a significant step towards the deep integration of AI technology and the construction industry, unlocking new possibilities for future living environments.

Moving forward, the two parties will continue to work alongside each other, leveraging AI as building blocks and data as pillars. They will continue to drive strong momentum in promoting the innovative enhancements of the construction industry and developing new quality productive forces.