Deep Integration of Food and AI: wan AIChef Establishes "Joint Research Institute for Green Food Manufacturing and Intelligent Cooking Innovation" with Leading Universities

wan AIChef Partners with Universities to Drive Green Transformation of the Food Industry

Driven by the “Healthy China 2030” national strategy and the accelerating trend toward green and intelligent industrial transformation, the food industry is undergoing rapid upgrading. Deep integration of industry, academia, and research has become a key path for innovation.

On May 19, wan AIChef officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shenzhen University, Dalian Polytechnic University, Huazhong Agricultural University, and Guangxi Yangxiang Co., Ltd. Together, they launched the "Joint Research Institute for Green Food Manufacturing and Intelligent Cooking Innovation."

Based at Shenzhen University, the institute focuses on intelligent cooking and dietary health, aiming to advance the modernization of traditional Chinese food manufacturing and elevate the intelligence of cooking technologies. This partnership will lead full-chain innovation—from raw ingredients to final dishes—setting new standards in the modernization of Chinese cuisine.

The unveiling ceremony of the Joint Research Institute was attended by:
President of Shenzhen University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Mao Junfa, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Zhu Beiwei, President of Guangxi Yangxiang Co., Ltd. Shi Liang, Vice President of Dalian Polytechnic University Zhou Dayong, Director of the Office of Social Services at the Institute of Science and Technology Development of Huazhong Agricultural University Wei Peng, Dean of the College of Food Science and Technology at Huazhong Agricultural University Xu Xiaoyun, Vice President of Guangzhou Shadow Technology and Shenzhen Digital Shadow Technology Li Yulin, Chairman of Shenzhen Digital Shadow Technology and wan AIChef Zhang Yan, and General Manager of Shenzhen wan AIChef Technology Co., Ltd. Huo Liyi.

This cross-disciplinary collaboration deeply integrates industry, academia, and research resources, promoting a full-chain intelligent transformation of the food industry—from production to consumption. It marks the beginning of a new industrial paradigm that combines intelligent hardware, digital services, and ecosystem synergy.

President Mao Junfa emphasized that the establishment of the Joint Research Institute for Green Food Manufacturing and Intelligent Cooking Innovation is a significant step in collaborative innovation between universities and enterprises. Under the leadership of Academician Zhu Beiwei, a comprehensive food science education system has been developed. The joint initiative involving Yangxiang Co., Ltd., wan AIChef, and two prestigious universities will focus on cutting-edge areas such as intelligent kitchen equipment and high-quality food processing, aiming to build a full-chain innovation platform that connects technology R&D, scenario-based applications, and industrial upgrading.

He stated that Shenzhen University will fully support the development of the institute by offering strong backing in platform co-construction, talent cultivation, and policy support. The goal is to build the institute into a national-level technology platform, a demonstration hub for results transformation, and a key driver of industrial innovation.

In her speech, Academician Zhu Beiwei emphasized that the establishment of the Joint Research Institute is not only a deep integration of the upstream and downstream sectors of the food industry chain, but also a groundbreaking exploration into the convergence of green food manufacturing and intelligent cooking. She noted that the institute aims to become a pioneer in the “Food + AI” revolution and a leader in full-lifecycle intelligent dietary management.

Zhu pointed out that the founding of the institute aligns with national policy directions and public health needs. At present, the prepared food industry is receiving significant attention from the Chinese government. During the 2025 Two Sessions, digital transformation of the food industry was officially proposed.

From a public health perspective, the demand for healthier diets is increasingly urgent: more than 34% of Chinese adults over the age of 18 are overweight, and the obesity rate exceeds 20%. In response, multiple national ministries have jointly initiated a “Healthy Weight Management Year.” The institute’s bold exploration serves as a model for the Healthy China initiative and the nutrition-first approach.

Industry-Academia-Research Synergy Accelerates the Upgrade of the Fresh and Frozen Food Industry

As an emerging domestic AI kitchen appliance brand and a digital cooking system service provider, wan AIChef has always placed high importance on collaborative innovation between industry, academia, and research in the field of food and nutrition sciences. At the end of 2024, wan AIChef partnered with the expert team of Academician Ren Fazheng, Professor at China Agricultural University and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, to jointly establish the Innovation Center for Dietary Nutrition and Health. The founding of the Joint Research Institute for Green Food Manufacturing and Intelligent Cooking marks a new milestone in wan AIChef’s integrated efforts in industry-academia-research collaboration.

From the perspective of participants, the Joint Research Institute brings together key players across the food ecosystem: intelligent cooking appliance brands, leading supply chain enterprises, top academic experts in food science, and research resources from three major universities. This positions the institute as a national leader in food industry academic collaboration.

In terms of cooperation mechanisms, the institute institutionalizes and regularizes collaboration through structured modules such as technical standard development, industrial application, and talent cultivation, thereby creating a sustainable ecosystem for research and industrial synergy.

As for research focus, the institute centers its work on fresh and frozen “one-bowl meals”, covering the full lifecycle of food innovation—raw material production, processing technology, cold chain preservation, and intelligent cooking. By integrating cutting-edge AI technologies with green manufacturing, it plays a crucial role in advancing innovation and upgrading the food industry.

Shi Liang, President of Yangxiang Co., Ltd., stated that the group has built a closed-loop system centered on “AI + Full Industry Chain,” spanning intelligent farming, food processing, and smart cooking. This has already yielded innovations such as the integration of wan AIChef’s intelligent cooking appliances with AI-driven recipes.

He emphasized that the new Joint Research Institute will focus on three key areas:

1. Developing green intelligent manufacturing technologies in response to the national dual-carbon strategy,

2. Building a science-based dietary ecosystem through smart kitchen devices, and

3. Fusing AI with cooking techniques to enable personalized meal customization.

Looking ahead, the institute aims to accelerate industry-academia-research collaboration and promote real-world applications in areas such as elderly meal assistance and standardization of smart kitchens, contributing to a greener and more intelligent transformation of the food industry.

Dean Xu Xiaoyun of the College of Food Science and Technology at Huazhong Agricultural University stated that the college will leverage its expertise in fundamental food science research, functional food development, nutritional intervention, and health evaluation. Together with all participating parties, the college will collaboratively tackle key challenges such as green processing, intelligent equipment, and precision nutrition, striving for breakthroughs at a higher level.

Vice President Zhou Dayong of Dalian Polytechnic University noted that the university will utilize its strengths in food nutrition regulation and green processing disciplines, strengthen the linkage between northern and southern research resources, and support the transformation of intelligent cooking equipment and lab-developed food technologies into large-scale industrial production.

Building Version 4.0 of High-Quality Chinese Cuisine — Multidimensional Technological Empowerment for High-Fidelity Reproduction

Compared with conventional fresh-frozen foods, the “one-bowl meal” focus of the research institute is specifically optimized for intelligent microwave cooking. By modernizing the processing of traditional dishes, integrating food perception and flavor compensation technologies, enhancing heating control systems within smart microwave cooking, and developing hazardous substance detection and control technologies during the microwave process, the institute aims to maximize the restoration of nutrition and taste found in freshly prepared traditional foods. This innovation represents a true upgrade for the fresh-frozen food category. The institute will also work on establishing standardization and industrialization capabilities for “one-bowl meal” products, unlocking tremendous value across the food industry.

The newly developed “one-bowl meal” series combined with wan AIChef ultra, wan AIChef's intelligent cooking system, will deliver an enhanced cooking and dining experience for households.
wan AIChef ultra, powered by the wan AiOS ultra-intelligence system, incorporates a state-of-the-art AI cooking model that enables a closed-loop smart ecosystem—from health detection, personalized meal planning, seasonal ingredient and fast-prep meal delivery, to one-step intelligent cooking. This fully digitalized experience creates value beyond the capabilities of traditional kitchen appliances.

Beyond home kitchens, wan AIChef will also introduce the wan AIChef station, a new generation of AI-powered cooking equipment featuring cutting-edge flash-freeze freshness-locking technology and intelligent heating capabilities. It can simultaneously serve up to 196 people and operate 24/7, making healthy cuisine accessible in public spaces such as workplaces, travel hubs, and leisure zones.

The primary use case for wan AIChef station is community elder dining centers, with potential expansion into hospitals, tourist attractions, and corporate cafeterias. Its supporting digital platform is capable of smart user behavior analytics, supply chain scheduling optimization, AI-based emotional analysis, and automatic issue tracking and resolution, enabling seamless operational intelligence throughout the system.

This new generation of cooking equipment will efficiently connect the industry and end-users, empowering a wide range of traditional hardware and food manufacturers, and further driving the prosperous development of the fresh-frozen and “one-bowl meal” industries.

Academician Zhu Beiwai noted that the fresh-frozen “one-bowl meal” dietary model introduced by Yangxiang Group and wan AIChef is not only a transformation of the traditional food supply model, but also a bold innovation. The Version 4.0 high-quality Chinese cuisine aims to combine nutrition and quality, convenience and tradition, establishing a new high-quality food supply model that requires zero cooking skills.

wan AIChef has consistently followed the strategic vision of “using the kitchen as a pivot to connect people with food,” aiming to build intelligent kitchen solutions for one-step cooking.

Zhang Yan, Chairman of Shenzhen Digital Image Technology and wan AIChef, stated that smart cooking equipment represents not only a technological breakthrough but also a concrete implementation of China’s “Healthy China” national strategy. The company’s independently developed AI intelligent cooking system, equipped with precise temperature control and flavor reproduction technology, effectively addresses the modern consumer dilemma of “pursuing quality” vs. “lacking time.”

In the future, this system will be deeply integrated into the technology transformation ecosystem of the Innovation Joint Research Institute, helping to accelerate the standardization of intelligent kitchen equipment.

Date: May 19, 2025.