Source: Yangtze River Delta G60 Laser Alliance  24^th June 2025

The business world is like a battlefield. In the highly competitive laser industry, the alliance member Jiaqiang (Shanghai) Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Jiaqiang") stands out as a unique focus, much like a great scholar, with its distinctive strategic perspective and open-source ecological concept.

In March this year, Jiaqiang completed a strategic B-round financing of hundreds of millions of yuan, introducing the Industrial Mother Machine Industry Transformation Fund and CRRC Capital, among others, to accelerate the company's next round of high-speed development. Li Sijia, the founder and CTO of Jiaqiang Intelligent, a visionary entrepreneur with both academic depth and business acumen, is leading the company to explore an innovative path of "platform + ecosystem". This article will reveal Li Sijia's insights into the future of intelligent manufacturing and his clear plans for Jiaqiang through in-depth dialogue, as well as how Jiaqiang is reshaping the industry ecosystem through open cooperation.

01 Strategic Upgrading - The Leap from Software to Ecosystem

"We don't sell software; we sell tickets to the ecosystem. We definitely empower the ecosystem through software."

When discussing the purpose of the recent round of financing, Li Sijia emphasized that the core objective of this round of financing for Jiaqiang Intelligent is to build a smart manufacturing ecosystem platform based on the xEOS operating system. He compared this platform to Google's Android or Apple's iOS, Xiaomi Home, and Huawei's HarmonyOS, aiming to integrate the control systems of laser processing heads, machine tools, robots, and other equipment, and create a new paradigm of xEOS operating system platform + xAPP ecosystem personalized intelligent manufacturing production lines, as well as a three-in-one solution of A+B+C. The ultimate goal of this platform is to significantly enhance processing efficiency and the scalability of process technology, meeting the trend demands of large-scale delivery and personalized customization in different downstream industries.

xEOS is equivalent to the edge brain of intelligent equipment or production line workshops. It connects previously independent and scattered information nodes to an open, decentralized and modular system in a simple way, including machine control (AT), information technology (IT) and the Internet of Things (IoT). The xAPP mini-program ecosystem refers to the differentiated applications in various industries. Li Sijia compared these product combinations to a "central kitchen" and various "cuisines", and Jiaqiang tailors solutions for different industry applications. These solutions have been well applied in fields such as steel structures, automobiles, lithium batteries and photovoltaics. Li Sijia stated that 2024 marks the first year for Jiaqiang Intelligent's true A+B CNC system + laser head integration. The 2-in-1 software and hardware solution with over 10,000 sets is in line with market demands, thereby promoting the development of cutting application APP software and continuously expanding various application scenarios. This round of financing is mainly used for the construction of a 50-acre intelligent manufacturing base in Suzhou, research and development of the platform, market promotion and other expenses, and to accelerate the overseas expansion strategy, forming a closed loop of "research and development - production - market".

02 Technological Breakthrough - From Agency to Autonomous Control

Li Sijia's academic background has infused Ji Qiang with a technological gene. This dropout from the University of Central Florida, armed with nearly 8 years of experience in the Silicon Valley industry, returned to China. Initially, she served as the Asia-Pacific office of an American company, selling laser processing heads. In 2009, she founded Ji Qiang, starting with agency trade and focusing on the research and production of domestic laser processing heads. With the continuous accumulation and innovation of technology, the company launched its first self-developed intelligent numerical control system in 2015, marking its full-scale entry into the field of intelligent laser equipment solutions.

When asked why she chose to transform into the intelligent sector, Li Sijia frankly stated, "The deep integration of opto-mechatronics and automation software, combined with the upgrading of traditional machine tool equipment, must be supported by software. Software defines manufacturing, and the industry is developing at an extremely rapid pace. However, software numerical control systems based on open softPLC have been almost monopolized by foreign companies like Beckhoff from Germany, with high prices. We must have our own system, and it must be an operating system, not just software."

based on this, Jiaqiang has shifted from merely providing users with hardware laser heads, AT bus numerical control systems, and ECAT bus hardware IO and sensors, to developing platform-based products such as open bus controllers and cloud IoT data collection, monitoring, and big data analysis platforms. "Of course, this process has faced many challenges, including staff turnover and market changes. We almost died several times. Starting a business is a nine-out-of-ten failure rate," Li Sijia said with a wry smile. Nowadays, Jiaqiang has continuously innovated to develop domestic software, achieving independent control of the xStudio core technology. It has gradually expanded from hardware to software and extended from single products to platform ecosystems. It has independently developed the open xEOS Jiaqiang Hong platform and the smart connection process mini-program xChat. Users can base their own applicable intelligent solutions on this open system, just like various APPs on the Android system are available for end users to use, thereby forming a true industrial ecosystem.

03 Open Philosophy - Reconstructing a New Paradigm for Industrial Competition

It is undeniable that while the domestic laser industry maintains a strong development momentum, the phenomenon of "intra-industry competition" has become a buzzword, with product homogenization and price competition becoming increasingly severe. In Li Sijia's view, the current competition in the laser industry has shifted from the hardware level to a contest of software and ecosystem. He directly pointed out the drawbacks of certain closed system models: "Closed systems are like shackles on the industry, which are not conducive to overall innovation." However, Jiaqiang has chosen an open strategy, making its software open source and allowing customers to conduct secondary development, achieving ecological prosperity through "altruism".

Our xEOS platform and xAPP ecosystem incorporate application manuals, process parameters, and debugging parameters from our partners to create a LaserGPT process generation backend in the laser field. This provides an open, flexible, and inclusive platform for different types of laser equipment, enabling laser equipment suppliers to freely customize and apply devices, and assisting more users in optimizing processing techniques. This is the power of the ecosystem. Additionally, while integrating the upstream and downstream industrial chains, we will also pay attention to protecting the independence and data security of different users. Screenshot of the ZhiXin operation interface. Where there is sunlight, there is shadow. Business competition is like fighting on the battlefield, and sometimes life and death are decided in an instant, especially when the external environment is harsh. This is the moment to test human nature. How many people can still adhere to their original intentions? Li Sijia has her own insights on this: "Jiaqiang has always adhered to the principle of 'Good words and deeds, self-improvement with respect', 'Water benefits all things without contention'. We will use an open and inclusive corporate culture to build an ecosystem for everyone and open-source the software to customers. We are willing to be the rain, sunlight, and soil that nourish the development of the industry, providing a bottom-level platform to achieve true Industry 4.0."

Jiaqiang Intelligence not only vigorously promotes technological innovation in the laser industry but also, with a view to the overall development of the industry, actively promotes the establishment and operation of the Smart Manufacturing Society. The purpose of establishing the Smart Manufacturing Society is to create a learning and exchange-oriented social organization with influence in the laser and smart manufacturing industries. The society focuses on regional localization and builds a professional platform for "learning and exchange, information sharing, and win-win cooperation" between enterprises and users through various forms such as expert classes, enterprise salons, and exchange visits. Through in-depth communication, it aims to achieve cognitive breakthroughs, deeply explore the diverse scene demands of the industry, and thereby promote sustainable iterative process evolution.

At the end of the conversation, Li Sijia summed up Jia Qiang's ecological philosophy with the phrase "Altruism is self-interest." In the vast ocean of intelligent manufacturing, this game-changer is embracing an open attitude and working hand in hand with partners to co-create a new ecosystem for the laser industry. Just as he put it, "True competition is making your ecological partners stronger than you."