Demand for artificial intelligence in the industrial sector has shifted from early exploratory investments by leading enterprises to an essential requirement across the industry for improving quality, reducing costs, and enhancing efficiency. According to IDC projections, spending on AI by Chinese industrial enterprises will approach 9 billion yuan by 2028, achieving a compound annual growth rate of 38%. By 2030, the number of active intelligent agents globally is expected to exceed 2.216 billion, with a CAGR of 139%, of which industrial sector agents represent one of the most significant components. Currently, China's industrial sector is at a critical inflection point, transitioning from digitalization to intelligent transformation, with the integration of "AI + industry" becoming a core engine for industrial upgrading and transformation. Domestically, as demand accelerates, policy support intensifies, and technology evolves, industrial AI is moving from conceptual exploration to a new phase of large-scale application. Globally, regions and countries are placing unprecedented emphasis on AI adoption in industrial scenarios, though implementation stages and opportunity windows vary significantly due to differences in industrial foundations, IT/OT architectures, and regulatory environments. IDC believes that Chinese industrial manufacturers can leverage their technological expertise and supply chain advantages to advance overseas market expansion through diversified, targeted pathways, achieving a gradual internationalization strategy based on "scenario capabilities—delivery systems—ecosystem partnerships."
The rapid growth in the number of intelligent agents is expected to resonate with the scaling demand for industrial AI. On one hand, industrial enterprises increasingly require cross-system coordination and closed-loop processes; on the other, intelligent agents, serving as "task orchestration and process execution carriers," help elevate AI from isolated capabilities to operable productive forces, thereby accelerating large-scale implementation. In January 2026, eight departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly issued the "Implementation Opinions on the 'AI + Manufacturing' Special Action," explicitly setting a goal to launch 1,000 high-level industrial intelligent agents by 2027. This marks the elevation of industrial intelligent agents from enterprise-led exploration to a systematic national-level strategy. Concurrently, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration released implementation opinions to promote high-quality development of "AI + energy," forming policy synergy to drive deep integration of AI technology with industrial sectors such as manufacturing and energy.
Industrial intelligent agents are evolving towards a technology path characterized by "strong professional attributes/high professional adaptability." The industrial sector inherently features significant inter-industry variations and strict process constraints. Whether in manufacturing or energy, each segment's business semantics, data forms, and constraint conditions differ, making it difficult to rely on consumer-grade general-purpose agents as a one-size-fits-all solution. Consequently, specialized industrial agents tailored for various segments—such as design and R&D, simulation testing, process improvement, quality inspection, equipment maintenance, and energy consumption management—are rapidly increasing. These agents exhibit an evolutionary trend toward greater specialization, deeper embedding, and enhanced controllability and manageability.
Globally, IDC predicts that AI spending by industrial enterprises will approach 2.2 trillion yuan by 2028, with a CAGR of 63%. Compared to the Chinese market's projected 90 billion yuan in industrial AI spending, the overseas market offers greater potential in terms of demand volume, industry diversity, and payment capacity. IDC observes differentiated industrial AI demand across global regions: in developed markets like Europe and North America, industrial enterprises possess more mature digital and industrial software systems, preferring systematic, high-end customization and long-term service subscriptions, albeit with higher overall costs and longer delivery cycles. Chinese industrial AI providers can target niche scenarios such as industrial vision, energy consumption optimization, and new energy station maintenance, differentiating themselves through "lightweight deployment + rapid results + cost-effectiveness." In emerging markets like Southeast Asia, there is strong willingness to adopt industrial AI but a shortage of adaptable solutions and localized delivery capabilities. Chinese manufacturers can export mature scenario-based solutions and integrated services, focusing on strengthening local ecosystem partnerships, delivery standardization, and operational maintenance systems to enhance replicability and sustainable revenue generation.
IDC also advises that international expansion should not be viewed merely as "selling products or executing projects." Instead, it requires simultaneous development of three core capabilities: compliance and data governance, local delivery and partner systems, and reusable, productized packaging of industry scenarios. Focusing on global manufacturing, energy, and supply chain themes, IDC's global industrial research has initiated a series of studies related to industrial intelligence this year, aimed at assisting Chinese industrial AI providers in gaining visibility among international industrial enterprises and strengthening brand credibility and market reach efficiency.