https://j.people.com.cn/n3/2026/1027/c95952-20512715.html

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued a notice announcing a candidate list for its 2026 “cutting-edge” smart factory development project. The list includes 34 facilities, such as the “AI-Driven Agile Manufacturing Super Smart Factory for High-End New Energy Vehicles” operated by Xiaomi EV Technology Co., Ltd., as reported by Xinhua News Agency.

Smart factories serve as the primary vehicle for smart manufacturing and are the central arena for driving the digital transformation (DX) and “smartification” of the manufacturing sector. China currently categorizes smart factories into four tiers—basic, advanced, excellent, and cutting-edge—and is fostering their development in a phased approach. “Cutting-edge” smart factories, in particular, are intended to explore future manufacturing paradigms and spearhead transformations driven by smart technologies, with the goal of establishing world-leading development models.

As of the end of September, China had established over 13,000 “advanced” smart factories and more than 500 “excellent” smart factories, in addition to 15 “cutting-edge” smart factories already under development.