China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has recently issued an implementation plan titled "Opinions on Promoting the Innovative Development of 'Artificial Intelligence + Information and Communications' (2026-2028)." This document lays out a strategic roadmap to foster the integrated and innovative advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) within the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.
The plan is structured around four key areas: driving the intelligent upgrade of the ICT industry, solidifying the foundational infrastructure for AI development, deepening the innovation and application of integrated solutions, and enhancing the governance capabilities of the ICT industry. A total of 17 specific tasks are detailed across these areas, aiming to provide robust support for advancing new industrialization and accelerating the development of a manufacturing and cyber power.
Key Development Targets
The plan sets forth clear objectives. By 2028, it aims to establish a preliminary, mutually reinforcing innovation and development framework for AI and ICT. The goal is for China's intelligent ICT operations and service capabilities to reach internationally advanced levels, with initial progress towards high-level autonomous networks. The plan targets the creation of over 30 high-value typical application scenarios and the development of a batch of exemplary applications and specialized intelligent agents. Furthermore, the supporting capacity of information infrastructure like networks and computing power for AI is to be significantly enhanced, with the coverage of metropolitan-area computing power within a 1-millisecond latency circle reaching no less than 75%.
By 2030, the "AI + ICT" initiative is envisioned to enter a new phase characterized by technological leadership, industrial prosperity, security, reliability, and intelligent inclusivity.
Detailed Implementation Measures
The document outlines specific measures across three broad fronts. To empower the intelligent upgrade of the ICT industry with AI, it proposes actions in six areas: promoting the evolution of intelligent ICT technologies, fostering the innovation and application of network intelligent agents, accelerating the enhancement of network equipment intelligence, advancing intelligent capabilities across all network construction and operation scenarios, strengthening edge inference capabilities, and optimizing intelligent computing cloud services.
To enable the ICT industry to support the pervasive development of AI, deployments are made across three aspects: network, computing power, and computing-network supply. Specific measures include building metropolitan-area millisecond-level low-latency access to computing power, establishing a coordinated computing power facility system with hub, regional, and edge nodes, and promoting the deployment of 5G-Advanced networks that support high uplink capabilities.
Regarding the convergence of ICT and AI to empower various industries, the plan includes tasks such as developing new network-intelligence integrated terminals, enriching new information consumption scenarios, empowering vertical industries for quality improvement and upgrade, and promoting intelligent and inclusive benefits for social and people's livelihoods.
According to an official from MIIT, integrated innovation with AI has become a crucial trend for the ICT industry. The plan calls for local communications administrations and industrial regulatory departments to strengthen coordinated guidance and promote implementation. It also encourages basic telecommunications enterprises, equipment manufacturers, and internet companies to leverage their respective strengths and work collectively to advance the convergence and innovation of AI and ICT, while strengthening the promotion and application of related technologies and products.
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