China's industrial and information sectors continued to advance toward higher quality and greater technological sophistication in the first half of the year, according to a press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO) last month to brief the media on the development of China's industrial and information sectors.

Wang Weiming, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), said the value-added industrial output of major industrial enterprises grew 5.4 percent year on year, while industry contributed more than 35 percent to economic growth. Corporate profitability also improved significantly, with total profits of major industrial enterprises rising 18.8 percent year on year in the first five months.

The latest data released at the press conference showed that more than 30 percent of China's major manufacturing enterprises have adopted AI technologies. China's open-source AI foundation models recorded more than 10 billion cumulative downloads worldwide.

Wang said high-quality development will be the MIIT's top priority. It will issue and implement sectoral and specialized plans for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), accelerate the development of a modern industrial system centered on advanced manufacturing, and improve the quality and efficiency of industrial economic performance.

Next-generation networks taking shape

By the end of June, China had over five million 5G base stations. It is advancing the construction of commercial 5G-Advanced networks, while 10-gigabit optical networks are being piloted in residential communities, factories and industrial parks. The second phase of 6G technology trials is also being accelerated.

Xie Cun, spokesperson for the MIIT, said the next generation of communications networks will be "new" in four major respects.

The objects being connected will expand from traditional individual users to a diverse range of entities, including people, machines, physical objects and embodied AI.   

Network coverage will go beyond the traditional limitations of terrestrial infrastructure and expand toward integrated, comprehensive coverage across space, air, ground and sea. Network connectivity will become significantly more deterministic and reliable, better meeting the differentiated requirements of various industrial applications. And finally, network functions will evolve beyond simple information transmission toward deep integration of communications, sensing, computing, intelligence and security capabilities.

Xie said the MIIT will coordinate the development of basic, space-based, international and integrated networks, promote large-scale commercial deployment of 5G-A and 10-gigabit optical networks, expand international submarine cable connectivity, accelerate the development of new industrial networks, and build an infrastructure system suited to the needs of the intelligent economy and intelligent society.

By the end of June, China's intelligent computing capacity had reached 2,185 EFLOPS, with the overall utilization rate of computing infrastructure hitting 71.4 percent.

AI, intelligent manufacturing drive new growth

In the first half of this year, AI-powered products emerged as a new consumer hotspot, while both the production and sales of new energy vehicles exceeded seven million units, highlighting the strong momentum of industrial development.

Wang said a number of key industries with internationally competitive advantages are expanding rapidly. In intelligent robotics, quadruped robots developed in China account for nearly 70 percent of global sales. More than 400 humanoid robot models have been developed, accounting for more than half of the global total. A number of global unicorn companies have emerged in fields including AI, semiconductors, new energy and biomedicine. China is also contributing "Chinese solutions" to the development of international standards and industrial governance.

"Technological and product innovation in the electronic information manufacturing sector has been remarkable, while new scenarios for integrated applications continue to expand," said Tao Qing, another spokesperson for the MIIT.

Tao said a number of AI terminal companies, leveraging flexible market mechanisms and well-developed industrial supply chains, have launched a wide range of products. They include AI musical instruments, AI cameras and AI headphones, offering consumers more choices. AI terminals are gradually entering scenarios such as business offices and smart homes, with AI PCs, AI TVs and AI speakers evolving from standalone tools into proactive service providers.

Looking ahead, Tao stated that the MIIT will promote the development of the intelligent economy, launch a call for typical cases in advanced computing, audiovisual electronics and smart sports, and take a forward-looking approach to emerging sectors. The ministry will also accelerate the cultivation of new growth drivers, including photonics and spatiotemporal information, advance the integrated deployment of computing power and electricity, and foster competitive advantages for industrial development.