The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Standardization Administration of China have jointly issued guidelines on the construction of a comprehensive standardization system for the industrial internet.

The industrial internet is an open network that connects machines, people and data, which features the high integration of the industrial system, advanced computing, analysis, sensor technology and the internet.

During the two sessions this year, building an industrial internet platform was written in the Government Work Report for the first time. It said that the industrial internet should be advanced to put idle production equipment to efficient use and encourage technological innovation.

The guidelines require the building of a new type of network infrastructure that connects people, machine and things, and standardization is crucial for laying a solid foundation for the industrial internet.

According to the guidelines, an industrial internet standardization system will be built by 2020.

Technological standards are urgently needed by industries, such as for industrial big data, industrial app research and development and security capacity evaluation, which will be given top priority. By 2025 more than 100 standards are expected to be established, and a unified, comprehensive, open industrial internet standardization system is to be in place.