Guangdong's Core AI Sector Tops 300 Billion Yuan as Industrial Push Expands

Guangdong's core artificial intelligence industry has surpassed 300 billion yuan ($42 billion), provincial officials announced at a manufacturing forum in Guangzhou. The province has shifted its industrial digital strategy from isolated pilot programs to supply-chain-wide overhauls, driving digital transformation across more than 55,000 industrial enterprises above designated size. To accelerate practical AI adoption, regional authorities launched an updated public service platform and highlighted platforms including industrial foundation models, embodied AI testing sites, and a national pilot base focused on consumer mobile hardware.

Guangdong represents China's largest provincial manufacturing economy. The expansion of its core AI sector beyond 300 billion yuan, paired with widespread adoption among industrial firms, demonstrates how Beijing's 'AI Plus' agenda is being executed on factory floors. Rather than confining artificial intelligence to consumer-facing applications or frontier research labs, the province is embedding machine learning and automation into traditional component manufacturing and mid-tier supplier networks.

The scale of Guangdong's core artificial intelligence industry has crossed the 300 billion yuan threshold, regional officials announced at an industry conference in Guangzhou. The milestone was disclosed during an event on AI-driven digital transformation for small and medium-sized enterprises, co-hosted by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology and the Guangdong Communications Administration as part of the 21st China International Small and Medium Enterprises Fair. Provincial authorities framed small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as the primary battleground for industrial digitization. According to official data shared at the event, Guangdong is pivoting away from isolated, single-factory upgrades toward what officials termed 'chain-style transformation'—an approach designed to coordinate modernization across entire supply networks. The strategy differentiates between large enterprises tasked with setting operational benchmarks, SMEs adopting standardized digital tools, and integrated supply chains seeking synchronized operational upgrades. To date, Guangdong has established more than 400 benchmark projects, including 5G-connected smart factories, placing the province among the top tier nationwide. The provincial government has guided more than 5,000 SMEs across 40 specialized industrial sub-sectors through coordinated digital chain revamps. In total, these initiatives have driven the digital transformation of more than 55,000 industrial enterprises above designated size, keeping key regional digital manufacturing indicators at the forefront nationally. In tandem with factory retrofits, Guangdong is accelerating the deployment of industrial AI tools. The province has cultivated a roster of industrial foundation models, unveiled target application scenarios across ten key industrial sectors, and developed shared infrastructure such as embodied artificial intelligence training grounds. It is also building a national-level AI application pilot base dedicated to consumer mobile terminal technologies. Provincial counts currently credit Guangdong with 22 national-level 'excellence' smart factories and 383 provincial-level advanced smart factories. During the Guangzhou event, authorities officially deployed the Guangdong Manufacturing Digital Transformation Public Service Platform 2.0 and issued a list of long-term operational mechanisms developed through municipal SME pilot programs. An accompanying exhibition showcased deployed AI applications, smart hardware interactions, and software services intended to lower the adoption barrier for smaller manufacturers seeking to upgrade shop-floor workflows.