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China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is rolling out a structured program to identify high-value AI applications and nurture a new class of service providers capable of deploying them across manufacturing and other priority sectors.
The program has set concrete numerical targets: the creation of 1,000 advanced industrial AI agents and the development of 500 notable application scenarios by the end of 2027.
The AI+ blueprint taking shape
In January 2026, MIIT collaborated with seven other government departments to issue the “AI + Manufacturing” Implementation Opinion. That document laid the groundwork for a multi-layered support system for AI service providers who specialize in both artificial intelligence and industrial applications.
In April 2026, MIIT Vice Minister Ke Jixin announced the “AI + Software” initiative, focusing on classified support and tiered cultivation of digital transformation service providers. The government is ranking AI companies by capability and directing resources accordingly, creating a kind of league table for firms building the tools that factories and enterprises will eventually use.
Both initiatives sit under the umbrella of the broader “AI+” guidance issued by the State Council in 2025.
New service models for industrial AI
Among the proposals in MIIT’s plans are two service delivery models: Model-as-a-Service and Agent-as-a-Service. Model-as-a-Service would allow manufacturers to access pre-trained AI models without building them from scratch. Agent-as-a-Service takes this a step further, offering autonomous AI agents that can execute multi-step workflows, from predictive maintenance scheduling to supply chain optimization.
MIIT had already planned to identify and promote 500 representative AI application scenarios aimed at SMEs by 2025. China has roughly 50 million SMEs that contribute more than 60% of the country’s GDP.
Evaluation infrastructure is already live
The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) has already begun evaluating companies on their ability to deliver large-model applications at scale. In September 2025, CAICT recognized AsiaInfo Technologies for its capabilities in this domain.
The tiered cultivation model announced under the “AI + Software” initiative suggests MIIT plans to formalize this further, creating distinct categories of service providers based on their technical maturity and sector expertise.
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