Currently, profound global changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and great power competition is deeply extending into industry and technology. Manufacturing, especially advanced manufacturing, has become the main battlefield for international competition. As a strategic technology leading a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is profoundly changing the production models and economic forms of the manufacturing industry. The National Advanced Manufacturing Conference explicitly proposed that, in line with the trend of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, we should take next-generation intelligent manufacturing as the main direction and focus on promoting the intelligent, green, and integrated development of the manufacturing industry.
In recent years, China has attached great importance to the deep integration of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and manufacturing, and the intelligent transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry has achieved positive results. Data shows that as of September, China has cumulatively built more than 56,000 basic-level smart factories, nearly 13,000 advanced-level smart factories, and over 500 excellent-level smart factories, with 15 enterprises entering the cultivation list for navigator-level smart factories. Among the 238 lighthouse factories globally, 103 are in mainland China, accounting for more than 43% of the global total. China has become a global leader in the application of AI technology. By the first half of 2026, the penetration rate of AI technology applications in above-scale manufacturing enterprises in China exceeded 30%, and the newly installed industrial robots accounted for more than 50% of the global share. The deep integration of next-generation AI technology and advanced manufacturing has given birth to next-generation intelligent manufacturing, which has become the core strategic support and key engine for China's transformation and upgrading from a large manufacturing country to a manufacturing powerhouse.
Anchoring the main direction of next-generation intelligent manufacturing, it is essential to advance the "AI + Manufacturing" initiative in depth and accelerate the cultivation of core application scenarios.
China has a complete industrial system, broad application scenarios, and huge market space. It is the only country in the world that possesses all industrial categories in the United Nations industrial classification, covering 41 major industrial categories, 207 medium industrial categories, and 666 small industrial categories. The "AI + Manufacturing" initiative features a large number, wide range, and high frequency of available scenarios. However, applications in some industries still remain at partial links and single-point scenarios, with a lack of supply of whole-process and systematic comprehensive solutions.
"Promoting intelligent manufacturing must first emphasize industry characteristics; there is no universal method that can be copied directly," said Huang Pei, member of the Expert Committee of the National Intelligent Manufacturing and CEO of e-works. Yang Xueshan, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, stated: "Different industries, enterprises, workshops, and even processes have different problem attributes, data foundations, and process characteristics. We must delve into specific scenarios, clarify 'what data, what algorithms, and what models', and implement precise policies."
Next, first, we need to consolidate the industrial data foundation, promote the construction of high-quality data sets and industrial trusted data spaces in key industries, and continuously improve the industrial data aggregation, governance, circulation, and sharing systems, so as to transform scattered data and tacit knowledge into usable and reliable model training assets. Second, we must develop high-level models, form characteristic and fully covered general industry large models, create more vertical models and industrial intelligent agents facing specific industrial scenarios, and accelerate the collaborative innovation and practical application of large and small models in industrial scenarios to improve production efficiency. Third, we should accelerate the cultivation and large-scale application of scenarios in key industries and key links, encourage AI to empower key manufacturing industries such as raw materials, equipment manufacturing, consumer goods, electronic information, software, and information technology services, and deeply serve core production and manufacturing links such as R&D and design, pilot verification, production and manufacturing, marketing and services, and operation management, promoting the achievements of intelligent manufacturing to change from "bonsai" to "landscapes".
Anchoring the main direction of next-generation intelligent manufacturing, it is necessary to support and guide enterprises in their digital and intelligent transformation, and promote the joint upgrading of large, medium, and small enterprises.
Enterprises are the main body of developing new quality productive forces, and also the main body of testing the effectiveness of the digital and intelligent transformation of the manufacturing industry. Data shows that as of December 2025, the proportion of above-scale industrial enterprises carrying out digital transformation nationwide reached 89.6%, and the penetration rate of digital equipment reached 57.7%. The digital transformation of the manufacturing industry has entered a stage of large-scale popularization. In the first half of this year, the added value of above-scale high-tech manufacturing industry increased by 13.3% year-on-year. At the level of the industrial ecosystem, the level of digital and intelligent transformation varies greatly among enterprises. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are more faced with the dilemma of "unwilling to transform, daring not to transform, and not knowing how to transform", which must be highly valued and seriously resolved.
"A large number of SMEs are still in the critical period of digital transformation and have not yet completed the basic popularization of digitalization," pointed out Zhou Ji, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the Strategic Advisory Committee on the Construction of a Manufacturing Powerhouse. "Under the wave of the new economy, the flexible production needs of SMEs are often ignored by large manufacturers. When these enterprises put forward customized needs to us, we choose to 'embrace each other and achieve each other'." Zhou Yuxiang, founder and CEO of BlackLake Technology, stated, "China has a complete industrial foundation. We hope to enable SMEs to obtain advanced technology at inclusive prices, promoting industrial upgrading while achieving revenue growth for enterprises."
Next, first, we need to improve the supply of products and services, encourage leading enterprises to share solutions and toolkits, and launch a batch of lightweight, low-cost, and easily deployable industry solutions, so that SMEs can also use them affordably and effectively. Second, we must strengthen classified guidance, help enterprises clarify the focus of transformation by combining enterprise scale, industry characteristics, and digital foundation, formulate personalized transformation strategies tailored to each enterprise, and promote more SMEs to grow into specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative "Little Giant" enterprises and manufacturing single champion enterprises. Third, we should strengthen policy synergy, make good use of measures such as technological transformation, gradient cultivation, and financial support, drive the collaborative transformation of SMEs, and promote the overall efficiency improvement of the industrial chain.
Anchoring the main direction of next-generation intelligent manufacturing, it is essential to consolidate the foundation of intelligent software and hardware and enhance the independent and controllable capabilities of the industry.
Consolidating the foundation of intelligent software and hardware is an important support for promoting the intelligentization of the manufacturing industry. In recent years, the software and hardware foundation of intelligent manufacturing in China has been steadily enhanced. In the first eight months of this year, China's software business revenue reached CNY 10,282 billion, a year-on-year increase of 8.8%. Among them, the revenue of basic software products increased by 9.8% year-on-year, and the revenue of industrial software products increased by 8.3% year-on-year. The application of new technologies such as embodied AI and human-machine collaboration has helped the rapid development of the robot industry. In August alone, the output of robot reducers and industrial robots in China increased by 11.4% and 34.6% respectively. Data shows that the global share of China's humanoid robot shipments has increased to 97%.
Zhang Jin, president of Siasun Robot & Automation Co., Ltd., stated: "Hardware-software collaborative innovation and deep AI empowerment are the core focus of the future intelligent manufacturing industry." He hopes that in future development, the development of AI-related disciplines, theoretical modeling, technological innovation, and software and hardware upgrades can be promoted as a whole. Zheng Bingquan, general manager of Beijing Wellintech Science & Technology Development Co., Ltd., believes that in the future, China's industrial control operating systems should anchor the mid-to-high-end route, and technology will become the core competitiveness. "To truly do a good job in domestic operating systems, autonomy must be ranked first, followed by service, and finally cost-effectiveness."
Next, first, we need to strengthen the research on key technologies, focus on key areas such as IC (Integrated Circuit), machine tools, high-end instruments, and basic software, improve the ability of technology supply, and solve "choke point" problems. At the same time, we should support basic software enterprises and hardware manufacturers such as chips and servers to carry out joint research on underlying adaptation and hardware-software collaborative optimization. Second, we must promote the intelligent upgrading of software and equipment, promote the integration of industrial software such as R&D and design, production control, and operation management with AI, and encourage industrial equipment such as machine tools and industrial robots to be equipped with intelligent agents to improve independent decision-making, analysis, and execution capabilities. Third, we should focus on cultivating intelligent native technology, products, and service systems, promote the transformation of generative AI to Agentic AI, promote the upgrade of product architecture from "plug-in" to "native", and build a solid technological foundation for the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing industry.
Next-generation intelligent manufacturing, formed by the deep integration with advanced manufacturing, is the only way to promote the leapfrog development of China's manufacturing from the digital generation to the intelligent generation. On this path, we must strengthen strategic coordination, emphasize standard leadership, grasp core technologies tightly, and pay attention to classified applications, so as to scientifically promote the fundamental transformation of the industrial model and enterprise form of the manufacturing industry.
Author | Chen Cun
Editor | Wu Lilin
Art Editor | Ma Liya Supervisor | Lian Xiaodong