As China accelerates its transformation towards intelligent manufacturing, the significance of industrial software has become more pronounced, emerging as a crucial foundational tool in this new eraRecent announcements have set ambitious targets for the revamping of industrial software and operating systems, aiming for an upgrade of approximately two million sets of industrial software and 800,000 industrial operating systems by 2027. This initiative will focus on key sectors such as oil, petrochemicals, aviation, and maritime industries, which are pivotal to China’s economic framework.

Industrial software plays a vital role in optimizing manufacturing management processes, transitioning production models, and enhancing overall productivityIt serves as an essential instrument for constructing a modernized industrial systemChina, being the world's largest industrial nation, has established a relatively comprehensive industrial and supply chain system

However, the country grapples with notable deficiencies in the industrial software sector, particularly concerning its capacity to support the digitalization, networking, and intelligence transformation of its manufacturing landscape.

As intelligent manufacturing delves deeper into advanced territories, the limitations of industrial software become increasingly apparentThere exists a troubling dichotomy where critical technological projects related to national security face significant hurdles; they often find themselves trapped in the paradox of relying on either subpar domestic software or hesitantly using foreign alternativesThis reliance becomes alarming when the core "industrial body" of Chinese manufacturing must connect to an external "industrial brain," resulting in vital data being anchored on foreign platforms, posing severe risks to both supply chain integrity and national security.

Currently, the ecosystem for advancing industrial software is rather lacking

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The collaborative innovative ecosystem led by domestic enterprises is relatively weak, and there is a disconnect between the foundational research conducted by corporate engineering technical teams and the applied research from universities and research institutionsThis gap indicates that mechanisms for integrating production, academia, research, and practical application remain underdevelopedAdditionally, the synergy between upstream and downstream entities in the industrial chain is insufficient, with surrounding service ecosystems not providing adequate coverageNotably, leading enterprises still fall short in recognizing the need to encapsulate technical processes into software, resulting in a lack of collaboration with domestic industrial software firmsThis disconnect hampers the development of high-quality technological processes and industrial databases essential for efficient application iterations within industrial contexts.

The principle of “using” industrial software to truly realize its value cannot be emphasized enough

For instance, certain regions have rolled out initiatives to promote the use of software service packages, enabling small and micro-sized manufacturing enterprises to easily access digital applications with minimal barriers to entryThese initiatives have shown promising results and signify the potential for further nurturing an application ecosystemIt is imperative to coordinate the aspects of availability and usability, creating a comprehensive directory of key industrial software products while hastening the matching of supply and demandExpanding industry application scenarios and spearheading pilot demonstrations for domestic industrial software products in critical areas can pave the path for typical applications that exemplify excellenceThis would catalyze the creation of highly regarded industry-specific solutions.

To tackle the core technological challenges in the realm of industrial software, state-owned enterprises must take on pivotal roles, especially the leading industrial giants

They are encouraged to collaborate with industrial software developers to form innovative consortia aimed at tackling challenges in foundational and industrial software through joint effortsThe overarching goal should be to dismantle foreign technological monopolies, promoting self-innovation based on a framework of introduction, digestion, and absorption of ideasBy continually enhancing the research and development capacities of domestic industrial software firms, they can tailor their products to meet the competitive needs of industry users, ultimately fostering a first-class autonomous industrial software ecosystem within the nation.

Moreover, strengthening the foundational ecological environment for a controllable industrial software supply chain is paramountAn optimized policy matrix for domestic industrial software is necessary, incorporating varied strategies for basic, application-specific, and specialized software types to enhance policy accuracy