At the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, China Southern Power Grid unveiled a suite of technological innovations aimed at deepening energy cooperation between China and ASEAN. Among the highlights were 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 underscore the growing emphasis on digitalization, intelligent technologies, and green energy within the region’s energy partnership.
The Lao-language LLM has already been deployed at Electricité du Laos Transmission Company Limited (EDL-T), where it demonstrated its capability by automatically analyzing thousands of inspection images in a short timeframe. Optimized for Laos’ mountainous and rainforest terrain, the model completed intelligent inspection analysis for four transmission lines, processing 26,000 drone inspection images and identifying over 3,600 equipment defects. This application not only enhances operational efficiency but also reduces the need for manual inspections in challenging environments.
Liu Ying, general manager of the Digitalization Department at Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd., noted that the company has been building multilingual professional corpora for the power sector, covering ASEAN countries including Laos, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Leveraging the DaWatt foundation model, the company is developing energy and power models customized for ASEAN languages and real-world industry applications. This initiative aims to overcome language barriers and facilitate smoother technical exchanges.
Talent development forms another pillar of this cooperation. The China-ASEAN Institute of Energy, jointly established by Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. and Guangxi University, is pioneering an industry-university training model that emphasizes practical experience. To date, two cohorts totaling 53 students from ASEAN countries have enrolled. This approach not only builds local capacity but also fosters long-term partnerships.
Cooperation is evolving from one-way training toward joint innovation. Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. and the Royal Academy of Cambodia have jointly established a laboratory for artificial intelligence and safety equipment. Additionally, the company has launched peer-to-peer exchanges with Electricité du Laos on improving power supply reliability. These collaborative efforts reflect a shift toward mutual learning and shared technological advancement.
To address 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 for Chinese and overseas engineers, the system enabled one-click generation of bilingual course materials and real-time speech translation, helping participants navigate highly specialized power-sector terminology.
To support regular international exchanges, Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd. has also established an international talent pool covering management, technical, and skilled personnel. It has developed 24 hours of courses on international affairs as well as 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 further 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 is aimed at creating new forms of China-ASEAN energy cooperation and supporting the green development of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0. For more information, visit Guangxi Power Grid Co., Ltd..
