AI-driven industrial robots

As robotic arms precisely complete chip packaging and mobile robots nimbly navigate smart workshops, industrial robots have evolved from production aids into a core force in the transformation of manufacturing.

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Policy guidance and market demand resonate, propelling the industry to achieve leapfrog growth. As a crucial indicator of high-end manufacturing strength, my country's industrial robots are in a golden age of development. Data shows that in the first three quarters of 2025, the national output of industrial robots reached 595,000 units, exceeding the total output for 2024, with industry revenue increasing by a staggering 29.5% year-on-year. Behind this explosive growth is the powerful support of a policy system of "national guidance + local matching"—from the "14th Five-Year Plan" for the robot industry to the "Robot+" application action, and now the precise focus of this "Guidelines," the policy path is becoming increasingly clear; provincial-level innovation centers established in Zhejiang, Anhui, and other regions are accelerating the transformation and application of technological achievements.

The continuous expansion of application scenarios has opened up vast opportunities for industrial growth. Today, industrial robots have penetrated 71 major industry categories and 236 sub-categories of the national economy, no longer limited to traditional advantageous sectors such as automobiles and electronics. In the new energy industry, robots undertake precision operations such as lithium battery material sorting and photovoltaic module welding; in the food processing industry, flexible robots, with their adaptive capabilities, complete complex processes such as packaging and sorting. As industry experts have stated, existing applications represent only a small portion of the potential scenarios; functional adaptation in specific fields will become a key driver of future growth.

The deep integration of AI technology and breakthroughs in the localization of core components have built new competitive advantages for the industry. AI is driving the upgrade of industrial robots from "repetitive task tools" to "cognitive intelligent systems," enabling fault prediction and process optimization through visual recognition and data analysis. More importantly, leading domestic robot companies have achieved breakthroughs in core components such as controllers and servo systems, with overall robot performance now comparable to foreign products. The localization rate is increasing year by year, effectively reducing the dependence of the industrial chain on foreign suppliers. This dual advantage of "technological independence + scenario innovation" makes domestic industrial robots increasingly proactive in market competition.

Looking to the future, the development potential of the industrial robot industry will be further unleashed. With the advancement of digital park construction, the large-scale deployment of robots will receive more comprehensive infrastructure support; the integration of AI with 5G and digital twin technologies will spawn more intelligent application scenarios. Enterprises need to focus on tackling core technologies and provide customized solutions for different industry needs, achieving qualitative improvement on the basis of quantitative growth. Driven by both policy and market forces, industrial robots will inevitably become a backbone force in the high-end and intelligent transformation of the manufacturing industry, providing solid support for my country's leap from a "manufacturing giant" to a "manufacturing powerhouse."