Economic Watch: AI capability boost strengthens China's advanced manufacturing base

BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Inside an eastern Chinese smart factory, a new generation of AI-powered welding robots rolls off the assembly line at a rate of 1,000 units per year, combining precision with intelligence.

These robots are helping to fill the gap caused by a shortage of human welders, ensuring that the world's largest manufacturing sector continues its legacy.

Facing a national welder shortage of nearly 3.5 million, industry analysts project a potential market of 1.4 million smart welding robots in China, based on a replacement rate of 2.5 workers per robot.

"Our deep focus on factory-floor integration relies on a mastery of welding to deliver specialized robotics," said Wang Dezhao, CEO of 3S Robotics, a Shanghai-based AI startup.

Meanwhile, a Beijing tech firm has launched a welding AI model that enables full-process robotic decision-making, cutting welding process development time by approximately 60 percent.

"It allows welding robots to mimic human-like, expert judgment, making them remarkably intelligent," said Han Tengyue from Botsing Technology.

These efforts are part of China's broader push to infuse intelligence into its industrial base. The country aims to build a modernized industrial system in the coming five-year period, with advanced manufacturing as its cornerstone.

As the world's leading manufacturer for 15 consecutive years, China has seen a significant rise in automation. The country now accounts for more than 50% of the global installed base of industrial robots, and its manufacturing robot density has reached 470 units per 10,000 workers.

This progress has generated a vast amount of high-quality, industry-specific data, creating ideal conditions for AI integration.

China has established over 35,000 entry-level and more than 230 advanced smart factories. "These factories already demonstrate a certain level of 'AI+' readiness," said Zhong Xinlong, a researcher from CCID Consulting under China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

"The advanced smart factories, in particular, have achieved remarkable gains: with product R&D cycles shortened by 28.4 percent, productivity increased by 22.3 percent, and carbon emissions reduced by 20.4 percent on average," Zhong added.

The expansion of China's newly cultivated leading industries -- including batteries, electric vehicles and renewable energy -- is paving the way for widespread adoption of industrial robots.

Deployed on automotive production lines, an AI inspection machine from a manufacturer in south China's Shenzhen uses deep learning and large models to simultaneously detect over 70 types of defects, thereby boosting quality inspection efficiency by more than 85 percent.

"Having collaborated with nearly 300 manufacturers, our company is committed to supporting the intelligent transformation of over 1,000 enterprises," said Jia Jiaya, founder of SmartMore, the machine's designer.

A smart system powered by AI models has increased revenue by almost 21 percent for Envision Energy, a major Chinese wind turbine manufacturer. Installed directly on its turbines, the system delivers hyper-local weather forecasts with a precision of under 20 meters and enables intelligent, predictive maintenance.

"This technology advances the failure prediction timeline by over two months," said Huang Hu, a vice president of Envision Energy.

In August, Chinese authorities released a guideline on deepening the "AI Plus" initiative, which outlines a roadmap for the deep integration of AI with the real economy. This policy sets a goal of achieving a penetration rate of more than 70 percent for new-generation applications, such as intelligent terminals and AI agents, by 2027.

The initiative aims to orchestrate all industrial elements intelligently and seamlessly integrate AI into operational stages, spanning design, pilot testing, production, service, and management.

As an AI strategy specialist, Zhong noted that the United States, by going "all-in AI," is strategically focused on leveraging formidable computing prowess to consolidate its technological supremacy.

In contrast, China's "application-first" path leverages its unique advantages: a "full industrial system" that generates vast data, a "unified massive market" that provides scale, and a national strategy that champions new quality productive forces and the real economy, Zhong explained.

"China's approach aligns with its comparative advantages -- a robust industrial base and vast application scenarios -- as well as its strategic goals of high-quality development and common prosperity, reflecting a more inclusive and sustainable vision," Zhong told Xinhua. ■