China to build 30 'fully connected' 5G factories by 2023

BEIJING - China aims to build 30 "fully connected" 5G factories in 10 key industries by 2023, as the country has fast-tracked industrial Internet development through integration with 5G technologies.

Three to five industrial Internet platforms with international influence will come into being and a big data center for industrial Internet will be established by 2023, said an action plan on industrial Internet development for the next three years, which was unveiled by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The action plan pointed out that the next three years (2021-2023) will be the period of the rapid growth of China's industrial Internet. Emerging business formats will prevail such as intelligent manufacturing, network-based collaboration and personalized customization during the period, it said.

The industrial Internet, also known as the Internet of Things (IoT) for industry, refers to the broader adoption of advanced technologies such as next-generation wireless networks, big data and artificial intelligence and IoT.

MIIT data showed China has already nurtured over 70 industrial Internet platforms into regional influence, connecting about 60 million sets of industrial equipment and more than 400,000 industrial enterprises.