On June 29, eight Chinese central ministries jointly issued the Implementation Opinions on Promoting High‑Quality Development of Industrial Internet (MIIT Document No. 152 [2026]). The policy explicitly calls for accelerating “Industrial Internet + Green and Low‑Carbon” applications in energy‑intensive sectors like steel, building materials, and petrochemicals. For the first time at the national level, steel decarbonisation is embedded into industrial internet planning, signalling that digitalisation is no longer just a productivity tool but a core enabler of green transformation.
Two‑stage roadmap to 2030 and beyond
By 2030, China aims to deploy around 50,000 industrial 5G private networks, build roughly five globally influential comprehensive platforms, cover all 207 industrial categories with integrated applications, reach 80% penetration of classified safety management among key enterprises, and exceed 2.5 trillion yuan in core digital output. By 2035, a world‑leading industrial internet infrastructure will fully support advanced industrialisation. For steel, this makes digital systems essential for carbon compliance, CBAM response, and green supply chain participation.
Early movers already building green‑intelligent systems
Leading firms have piloted integrated digital‑carbon platforms with measurable results. In Shandong, a producer has deployed a full‑process platform (ironmaking to rolling) across 46,000 devices and 410,000 data points, processing 40 billion data entries daily. Its intelligent gas balancing achieves near‑zero waste discharge, cuts refining energy by 43 kWh per ton, improves overall efficiency by 18%, and reduces annual CO₂ by nearly 20,000 tons. CITIC Pacific Special Steel has built a multi‑base carbon management platform enabling lifecycle tracking and CBAM/PCF compliance, with a near‑zero carbon model using 100% green power, scrap, and ultra‑efficient electric arc furnaces. Baotou Steel uses an AI model that converts operator experience into training data, achieving over 92% endpoint accuracy for temperature and carbon, boosting efficiency by 6%, and cutting per‑ton emissions by 8%. In Anhui, Liugang Group employs a 5G cloud‑edge system for full equipment data capture and AI‑driven emission treatment, gaining national‑level recognition. Across these cases, steelmaking is moving from experience‑based operation to model‑driven, real‑time optimisation.
Key challenge: carbon must be measurable to be manageable
Steel accounts for roughly 15% of national emissions, the highest among manufacturing sectors. Long processes, multiple energy streams, and dispersed sources mean most firms still rely on annual accounting rather than real‑time tracking. The new policy strengthens data standards, breaks ERP/MES/production system silos, and enables process‑level real‑time energy and emissions visibility. It also encourages financial institutions to expand green credit and transition financing for digital‑carbon infrastructure, easing funding pressure for steel enterprises.
Outlook: digital‑carbon integration as a competitiveness lever
Experts expect a wave of investment in industrial internet and carbon management systems over the next three years. Beyond compliance, as scrap recycling and electric furnace expansion accelerate, digital carbon management is becoming a decisive factor in supply chain competitiveness. China’s steel industry is transforming from heavy traditional manufacturing to intelligent low‑carbon production. Firms that accurately measure and optimise per‑ton carbon emissions will be best positioned to lead the next phase of global competition.
