Sichuan has released a comprehensive roadmap for building its smart construction industry chain over the next five years, as outlined in the newly published Sichuan Province Smart Construction Industry Chain Construction Work Plan (2026–2030). The plan focuses on leveraging technological innovation, industrial integration, and application scenarios to drive the transformation and upgrade of the province's construction sector.

It aims to establish a complete smart construction industry chain covering planning, investment, surveying, design, production, construction, operation, equipment manufacturing, and software systems. The strategy emphasizes the central role of enterprises, supporting major players in scaling up while fostering smaller supporting firms, and promoting collaboration in technology, resources, and innovation to build a regional and cooperative industrial ecosystem.

Phased Goals: 15 Pilot Cities by 2030

The plan sets a three-phase approach, starting with 2026 as the framework-building phase. During this period, Sichuan will identify core enterprises across construction, equipment manufacturing, and software development that have competitive advantages in technology, scale, resources, and market presence. It will establish initial cooperation mechanisms between chain-leading enterprises and supporting firms, develop a list of collaborative projects, and create a preliminary industry chain map to guide further development.

From 2027 to 2028, the focus shifts to pilot demonstrations. Building on Chengdu's role as a national pilot city for smart construction, other cities will gradually join. This phase includes expanding pilot projects, promoting secure BIM technology, project management platforms, smart construction equipment, and construction robots. Key technologies such as autonomous BIM systems, robot operating systems, and industrial internet platforms will be developed, alongside the establishment of national and provincial research centers, laboratories, and technical standards. Policies will be introduced to nurture chain-leading enterprises and outline support measures.

Between 2029 and 2030, the plan moves to a promotion and scaling stage. By the end of 2030, Sichuan aims to have 15 provincial-level pilot cities, 500 new pilot projects, a 35% adoption rate for secure BIM technology, and over 25 provincial-level innovation platforms such as key laboratories and engineering centers.

Five Key Tasks Tailored to Local Conditions

To achieve a complete, innovative, and green smart construction industry chain, the plan outlines five major tasks.

First, optimizing regional layout: Each city will develop its own plan based on local industrial strengths, resources, and market needs. Pilot cities will serve as hubs for innovation and industrial clustering, while others will support chain building, integration, and extension, gradually enhancing their service capabilities.

Second, nurturing enterprise clusters: Provincial-level chain-leading enterprises are encouraged to integrate resources through mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships, opening supply chains and application scenarios to drive local firms. These leaders will invest in high-level innovation platforms and participate in standard-setting. Local governments will create targeted programs for chain-leading enterprises, offering policy support and incentives for scaling up, listing, or achieving industry recognition. A "chain-leader plus supporting firm" model will be promoted, with support for specialized and "little giant" firms.

Third, strengthening technological innovation: The plan focuses on AI, cloud computing, big data, the Internet of Things, and digital twin technologies. It will use methods like "open competition" and commissioned research to solve key challenges. Chain-leading enterprises will collaborate with universities and research institutes to build innovation platforms, bridging the gap from R&D to commercialization. A list of smart construction tech achievements will be created, and pilot application scenarios will be developed in large public buildings, municipal infrastructure, and urban renewal projects.

Fourth, improving talent and support systems: Universities will be encouraged to add smart construction courses, and校企合作 (school-enterprise collaboration) will be expanded for targeted training of technical staff and workers. Traditional construction workers will receive reskilling programs, and chain-leading enterprises will be supported in recruiting top digital and smart talent, with eligibility for provincial talent plans.

Fifth, industrial incentives and support: The plan calls for implementing provincial green building material industry funding and reward policies to boost the smart construction sector. A supply-demand matching platform will be established to break information barriers, help enterprises expand markets, and foster a collaborative industrial environment.