Recently, the "First Academic Conference on Intelligent and Green Bridge Construction" and the "First Academic Conference on Intelligent Construction and Maintenance of Geotechnical and Tunnel Engineering in Extreme Environments" were held in Chengdu. The conference was guided by the Civil, Hydraulic and Architectural Engineering Division of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and jointly hosted by Southwest Jiaotong University, the National Key Laboratory of Intelligent and Green Bridge Construction, and the National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Maintenance of Geotechnical and Tunnel Engineering in Extreme Environments.

This conference centered on major national needs such as the "Transportation Powerhouse" strategy and the "Dual Carbon" goals, with the theme of "Intelligent Construction, Green Construction, and Smart Operation and Maintenance." It focused on the latest advances in bridges, tunnels, and geotechnical engineering, aiming to cultivate major original technologies, overcome technical challenges in major engineering construction, and discuss new theories, new methods, new technologies, new products, and new materials in the fields of intelligent and green construction, so as to build industry consensus, promote forward-looking, pioneering, and exploratory frontier-leading technology research, and strengthen the integration of industry, academia, research, and application.

On the morning of November 23, the conference opened at the Jinniu Hotel in Chengdu.

In his remarks at the opening ceremony, Academician Nie Jianguo, Director of the Civil, Hydraulic and Architectural Engineering Division of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, stated that bridges, tunnels, and geotechnical engineering, as key controlling nodes in infrastructure, play an important role in promoting regional economies, improving transportation networks, and enhancing people's quality of life, and that their intelligent, green, and sustainable construction is key to driving the high-quality development of China's civil engineering. This conference, with the theme of "Intelligent Construction, Green Construction, and Smart Operation and Maintenance," deeply explores the frontier dynamics and application prospects of intelligent construction and green development in bridges, tunnels, and geotechnical engineering through high-quality academic reports, and drives high-quality development through sustained technological innovation—making it most timely indeed.

In his opening address, Yan Xuedong, President of Southwest Jiaotong University, pointed out that in recent years, around major national needs such as the "Transportation Powerhouse" strategy and the "Dual Carbon" goals, and accompanied by the rise of technologies such as big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, intelligent construction, green construction, and smart operation and maintenance have become the themes of the era for the high-quality development of bridges, tunnels, and geotechnical engineering. He expressed the hope that this conference would serve as an opportunity to further strengthen interdisciplinary and cross-sector deep cooperation among universities, research institutions, and industry enterprises, increase investment in and attention to frontier technology research and development, continue to advance the integration of industry and education, promote the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and pursue progress through new ideas and innovation, so as to answer well the question of the era: "With industry empowerment, what should intelligence do?"

Subsequently, Academician Gao Zongyu of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Li Guoliang, a National Engineering Survey and Design Master, respectively introduced the National Key Laboratory of Intelligent and Green Bridge Construction and the National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Maintenance of Geotechnical and Tunnel Engineering in Extreme Environments at the opening ceremony. The National Key Laboratory of Intelligent and Green Bridge Construction is jointly built by three units: China Railway Major Bridge Reconnaissance & Design Institute Group Co., Ltd., China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co., Ltd., and Southwest Jiaotong University. The National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Maintenance of Geotechnical and Tunnel Engineering in Extreme Environments is jointly built by three units: China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd., Southwest Jiaotong University, and Shenzhen University.

After the opening ceremony, Qian Qihu, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and recipient of the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, Academicians He Huawu and Ding Lieyun of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Wang Tongjun, Vice General Manager of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., and Huang Changfu, Vice President of China Railway Construction Corporation Limited, delivered keynote reports respectively, sharing their recent research results and academic reflections.

On the afternoon of November 23 and throughout the day on November 24, the conference concurrently held the "First Academic Conference on Intelligent and Green Bridge Construction" and the "First Academic Conference on Intelligent Construction and Maintenance of Geotechnical and Tunnel Engineering in Extreme Environments." More than sixty experts, including Professor Wang Ping, Vice President of Southwest Jiaotong University, and Professor Xu Youlin, Academician of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, delivered conference reports respectively, sharing with the industry the most cutting-edge research progress and development strategic trends in bridge, tunnel, and geotechnical related fields.

In addition, on the afternoon of November 22, the conference organized guests to conduct on-site visits to the National Key Laboratory of Intelligent and Green Bridge Construction and the National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Maintenance of Geotechnical and Tunnel Engineering in Extreme Environments.