6G File Photo: VCG
China will strengthen 6G super-high-speed mobile communication technology R&D and prepare for its commercial rollout between now and 2030. The technology is among the planned key growth drivers including quantum computing, bio-manufacturing, hydrogen and fusion energy, brain-computer interface and embodied artificial intelligence (AI), Chinese officials said at a press briefing held in Beijing on Wednesday.
China will try to optimize its industrial structure and cultivate a group of new pillar industries including semiconductors, aerospace, bio-medicine, low-altitude economy, new energy storage, and intelligent robots during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said.
In the next five years, China will step up efforts to achieve breakthroughs in 6G, including the technology’s standards development, and foster a mature industry ecosystem to lay the groundwork for commercial use, said Liu Yulin, an official of MIIT.
“China will also speed up construction of next-generation telecommunication networks and computing-power networks, expand large-scale 5G and industrial internet applications in key industrial sectors, and strengthen its mobile network and cyberspace data security,” said Liu.
Turning to AI, Xin Guobin, vice-minister of MIIT, said the sector is injecting strong momentum into economic growth. Nearly 200 key AI standards have been developed.
Speaking of future development plans for the AI industry, Xin said that, on the supply side, China will support R&D of high-end training chips and multimodal algorithms, advance brain-inspired intelligence and related AI models (which simulate environments and predict what happens next based on a user’s actions), and iterate intelligent terminals such as humanoid robots and brain-computer interfaces.
“On the application side, the focus will be on high-value industry scenarios, cultivating lightweight, low-cost and easy-to-deploy solutions so enterprises can adopt AI effectively,” said Xin.
Given that AI and telecommunications technologies are crucial to industry upgrading, Yao Jun, director of the planning department of MIIT, said on Wednesday that the ministry will promote large-scale application of new technologies, new products and scenarios through “5G+,” “AI+,” “robot+,” “industrial internet+” and “BeiDou Navigation Satellite System+”, accelerating industrialization and real-world deployment.
In broader efforts to help upgrade traditional industries and lay out future industries, the MIIT will establish national demonstration bases for emerging industries, focusing on next-generation information technology, new energies, new materials, intelligent connected new-energy vehicles, robots, bio-medicine, high-end equipment and aerospace. By 2035, China aims to set up 100 demonstration parks with strong radiating effects and 1,000 leading demonstration enterprises in the country, the officials said.
Global Times
