In the Dagze district of Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region, smart growing containers powered by artificial intelligence are beginning to render the seasons irrelevant. Plans are underway to expand a network of such containers from seven to 20 by the end of this year, as local authorities accelerate efforts to develop smart agriculture in one of China's most challenging farming environments. The first seven units, each of which is roughly the size of a shipping container, are being tested to see how well they can cultivate leafy vegetables, edible mushrooms and medicinal crops in fully controlled environments. "The technology is helping plateau agriculture shift from weather-dependent farming to smart farming, and creating a new development model suited to high-altitude regions," said Lobsang Tenzin, head of the Dagze Modern Agriculture Industrial Park. Yang Yahui, an associate researcher at the Vegetable Research Institute of the Xizang Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, said that smart growing containers represent a promising model of intelligent farming that complements rather than replaces conventional agriculture.