China has unveiled the world’s first unmanned 20-storey vertical plant factory in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. The high-rise farm, built by the Institute of Urban Agriculture under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, became the most advanced example of how artificial intelligence can transform agriculture and food production.
The vertical plant factory was fully automated and controlled by an AI-based management system that handled lighting, irrigation, nutrients, temperature, and humidity. From seed to harvest, every stage of plant growth is guided by technology instead of human labor.
Researchers explained that the system used special light formulas that mixed red, blue, yellow, near-ultraviolet, and near-infrared lights in different stages of plant life. “We combined different light colors during each stage of growth,” said Wang Sen, a lead researcher at the Institute. “We built a database of more than 1,300 light combinations for 72 different crops.”
This smart light system allowed the plants to receive exactly what they needed without wasting energy. The system also helped overcome one of the biggest challenges in vertical farming ensuring plants received enough light in closed indoor spaces.
The 20-storey building produced more than 50 tons of vegetables each year, equal to the harvest from about four hectares of farmland. Each floor grew and harvested lettuce every 35 days, meaning the facility could achieve more than 10 harvests a year, regardless of weather or season.
This level of efficiency showed that agriculture could now move away from dependence on soil, rain, or climate. Even in a city, desert, or mountain region, crops could be grown in a completely controlled environment. The vertical design made it possible to grow large quantities of food in a very small space, something that traditional farms could not achieve.
Inside the factory, robots planted, monitored, and harvested crops without any human touch. AI sensors observed plant growth in real time, adjusting water, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and temperature automatically.
The facility also worked as a breeding accelerator, cutting down the growth and breeding cycle of major crops such as wheat, cotton, and soybeans by at least 50 percent. Normally, these crops took up to 120 days to mature, but inside the Chengdu factory, they could be ready in less than 60 days.
According to the research team, the vegetables grown in this artificial environment were just as healthy and nutritious as those produced in traditional soil farms. Indoor farming, they said, could become the best solution for cities, wastelands, or deserts where normal agriculture was difficult.
The opening of the Chengdu vertical plant factory came at a time when China’s government had been urging scientists to find modern solutions to ensure food security. President Xi Jinping had emphasized that the nation must use technology to overcome land shortages, soil degradation, and climate challenges.
The vertical plant factory was designed to operate completely independent of soil, geography, or weather. This made it ideal for expansion into deserts or other areas unsuitable for normal farming. It also served as a model for urban agriculture, showing that even in crowded cities, food could be produced locally and sustainably.
The researcher said, “We no longer depend on nature alone. We can now grow what we need, when we need it, wherever we are
