Recently, the Chinese government has demonstrated a significant commitment to enhancing the platform economy through a series of supportive policies. At a recent State Council executive meeting, it was highlighted that there is a need for more comprehensive guidance to ensure the healthy development of the platform economy, with a particular focus on bolstering the industrial internet platform system. This strategic move illustrates the government’s intent to drive not only technological advancement but also economic transformation.
The industrial internet is becoming increasingly pervasive across critical sectors of the national economy, enabling companies to undergo transformative upgrades and fostering the generation of new growth points. Defined by five primary functional systems—network, identification, platform, data, and security—the industrial internet serves as a critical infrastructure connecting various devices and applications. Its robust data processing capabilities, expansive connectivity functions, and continuously evolving technologies position it as the cornerstone of industrial internet value. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) reports that over 340 influential industrial internet platforms have been nurtured in China, with the total number of registered identifiers exceeding 600 billion, benefiting over 450,000 enterprises.
Despite these advancements, it is essential to recognize that the journey of industrial internet platforms continues to be fraught with multifaceted challenges and issues. At the technical level, there is a glaring inadequacy in the critical realm of industrial data collection. Industrial settings are characteristically complex and diverse, plagued by inconsistent equipment interface standards and convoluted data protocols, which hinder the integrity, accuracy, and timeliness of data collection.
In the realm of big data modeling and analysis, the unique characteristics of industrial data—marked by high specialization, substantial volume, and varying quality—pose significant challenges to constructing accurate and efficient analytical models. Often, this complexity prevents the discovery of the potential underlying value hidden within the data, thereby failing to provide robust support for enterprise decision-making. Furthermore, there remains a relative shortage of deep-rooted industry mechanism models; each industrial sector is governed by its own unique processes, flows, and physical laws, necessitating extensive practical accumulation and the blending of professional knowledge to develop industry-specific mechanism models, which is still in the nascent stages, severely limiting widespread applications and commercial promotion of the industrial internet platforms.
Additionally, the pressing need to enhance autonomous security capabilities is evident. The industrial internet involves substantial core industrial data and critical production stages; a successful cyberattack or data breach could inflict immeasurable damages on businesses and threaten the industrial safety and economic stability of the nation. However, there remains a high degree of reliance on foreign technologies in core areas such as chips, operating systems, and industrial software, suggesting a shortfall in homegrown innovation capacities that makes it challenging to construct a robust, unassailable security defense system.
When viewed from the application dimension, China’s industrial system is vast and diverse, with stark divergences across different sectors. Factors such as production scale, process flows, technical levels, and management methods all significantly differ, leading to a diversified and individualized demand for industrial internet platforms. Currently, however, these platforms are struggling to keep pace with these varied requirements and are often unable to provide well-suited solutions tailored to specific needs.
Moreover, the levels of digital transformation among enterprises vary considerably. While some large corporations have made headway in their digital transitions, buoyed by robust financial resources, technological capabilities, and strong management skills, numerous small to medium enterprises lag behind due to shortages in funding, a lack of technical talent, and insufficient understanding of digital transformation.
Perhaps more critically, the prevalent issues of enterprise reluctance -- marked by 'fear of use,' 'unwillingness to adopt,' and 'lack of knowledge' -- are stark. The hesitation stems primarily from concerns about data safety, network risks, and the stability of new technology applications. The unwillingness often arises from a lack of clear recognition of the value offered by industrial internet platforms; many companies fail to appreciate the vast potential in improving production efficiencies, reducing costs, and innovating business models, particularly since short-term returns on investments are not readily apparent, which dampens their motivation to adopt these platforms. Furthermore, the confusion around the operationalization of these new technologies reflects a scarcity of professional technical talents and digital management experience within organizations. Faced with the complexities of integrating industrial internet platforms into existing processes, many enterprises find themselves at a loss for where to begin.
To expand the industrial internet platform ecosystem, it is vital to create multi-layered and multi-faceted platforms. By aligning with the specific needs of different industries and companies, creating comprehensive, specialized, and characteristic industrial internet platforms is necessary. Within this framework, comprehensive platforms span across industries and domains, representing the pinnacle of industrial internet development in China and often exhibit greater influence. Specialized platforms cater to particular technical fields, directly addressing specific challenges, while characteristic platforms cater to key sectors or regions, consolidating and aggregating industry knowledge and experience. The synergy and collaborative efforts of these three types of platforms can effectively underpin industrial transformation and upgrading.
Building a robust platform is only part of the equation; effective utilization is equally paramount. To address the prevalent enterprise hesitancies of 'fear,' 'reluctance,' and 'inexperience,' issues around user-friendliness and cost must be resolved. This involves accelerating the establishment of platforms within various industries and regions, enhancing the capacities supported by new technologies, and identifying applications that can effectively promote wide-scale utilization of these platforms. In addition, local governments can stimulate the broader application of industrial internet platforms and reduce costs through innovative mechanisms such as innovation vouchers and service coupons, encouraging enterprises to develop innovative solutions that offer diverse, high-quality, and professional products while increasing supply levels and lowering barriers to adoption.
Throughout this transformative process, ensuring the differentiated development of industrial internet platforms must remain a priority. Encouraging localities to leverage their specialized advantages, strengthening the innovative integration of these platforms within key sectors of the national economy, will help cultivate differentiated, characteristic development models. Importantly, guiding the iterative upgrade of industrial internet platforms to fit specific industries and contexts will enable the provision of targeted solutions that meet the diverse, growing needs of users.
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