On November 27, it was announced that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released the 2025 Leading Smart Factory Cultivation List, with only 15 companies selected nationwide. Among them, Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co., Ltd. (AVIC Chengdu) was chosen for its Advanced Aviation Equipment Flexible Agile Smart Factory, making it the sole representative from western China.
Since last year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, along with five other departments, has been promoting a tiered smart factory cultivation initiative, categorizing factories into four levels: foundational, advanced, exceptional, and leading. The primary goal is to accelerate the digital transformation and intelligent upgrading of the manufacturing sector, creating an "upgraded version" of smart manufacturing. The leading level, as the highest tier, represents the pinnacle of China's manufacturing intelligence.
Advanced fighter jets are a prime example of high-end, complex equipment, facing industry challenges such as multi-domain coordination, system integration, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. AVIC Chengdu has upgraded its technological framework, restructured its management systems, and revolutionized its manufacturing processes. By leveraging AI, 5G, and digital twin technologies, the company has established a smart factory characterized by "wide-area coordination, flexibility, and agility," supporting efficient collaborative manufacturing of multi-variant and variable-batch aircraft. Additionally, it provides technological and managerial empowerment to over 100 industry partners, fostering an innovation ecosystem for smart manufacturing across the supply chain.
The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee emphasized advancing intelligent, green, and integrated development to build a modern industrial system centered on advanced manufacturing. "Smart factories will strongly support the high-quality development of Sichuan's advanced manufacturing sector, helping to optimize traditional industries while nurturing emerging and future industries," said a representative from Sichuan's Department of Economy and Information Technology.
Previously, Sichuan formulated a dedicated plan to systematically promote smart factory construction in key industries such as electronics, equipment manufacturing, advanced materials, and healthcare, addressing their digital transformation and intelligent upgrading needs. Currently, the province has cultivated 20 exceptional-level, 104 advanced-level, and 761 foundational-level smart factories.
Moving forward, Sichuan will focus on developing an "autonomous industrial intelligence system" as a breakthrough point to accelerate industrial intelligence. This includes establishing an AI application capability center for new industrialization and supporting the intelligent and digital transformation of all manufacturing elements. Additionally, the province will build platforms for industrial ecosystem linkage, high-quality dataset development, AI innovation, and cross-disciplinary talent cultivation.
Efforts will also intensify in promoting smart manufacturing solutions through competitive bidding, enhancing smart manufacturing capabilities, strengthening industrial intelligence systems, and accelerating the development of future factories.