China Sets 2030 Targets for AI Agents and 6G in National Digital Plan

AI adoption and mobile networks get new targets

China aims to raise adoption of next generation smart devices, AI agents and related applications from 40% in 2025 to more than 90% by 2030, while launching commercial 6G services when conditions are ready. The targets sit within a national digital development plan that also calls for more mobile base stations, stronger semiconductor research and wider use of artificial intelligence in factories and public services.

The Central Cybersecurity and Informatization Commission issued the National Informatization Plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, covering 2026 to 2030. Its central ambition is to connect investment in networks, computing and technology research with changes that businesses and households can use.

By 2030, the plan seeks 50 base stations using 5G or its more advanced version, 5G-A, for every 10,000 people, up from 34 in 2025. That is an increase of about 47%. Core digital industries are expected to contribute 12.5% of gross domestic product, compared with 10.5% at the starting point.

The official announcement also calls for a network spanning land, sea, air and space, the substantial completion of a national blockchain network and faster development of an intelligent internet. These goals put communications, computing and AI applications within one programme rather than treating them as separate projects.

The plan contains 12 principal indicators, all described as expected targets, alongside 25 priority tasks across 10 areas. The indicators provide benchmarks for policy and investment, with progress to be monitored during implementation.

For residents, the intended changes include more government services available across provincial boundaries, wider digital access to health and education services, and more training in the skills needed to use increasingly automated systems.

What the AI adoption target covers

The rise from 40% to more than 90% applies to a combined category of next generation intelligent terminals, AI agents and related applications. An intelligent terminal is a device through which someone uses digital services. An AI agent is software designed to carry out tasks, potentially taking several steps toward a goal rather than simply answering a question.

The combined adoption measure is set to increase by more than 50 percentage points. Its breadth matters: the target covers devices and applications together, giving the programme a wider reach than a goal focused on one type of chatbot or software assistant.

The plan calls for intelligence to be built across networks, platforms, devices, applications and services. It also seeks orderly use and further development of AI agents, linking their spread with governance rather than focusing only on adoption.

Zhang Li, president of the China Center for Information Industry Development, describes the policy structure as a 352 framework. It brings together three systems for infrastructure, innovation and industry; improvements in five areas of economic and social activity; and two foundations covering security, laws and standards.

6G moves toward commercial deployment

The commission places the launch of commercial 6G within its objectives for 2030, using wording that leaves room for the technology and industry to mature. A specific launch date has not been announced. Research, standards development and application testing remain part of the work ahead.

The change from the previous planning period is substantial. The national informatization plan issued in December 2021 called for research into 6G and technologies including the integration of terrestrial wireless networks with satellites. The new programme adds commercial deployment to the destination.

China is continuing to build existing networks at the same time. The plan calls for wider deployment of 5G and gigabit fibre, development of 5G-A and fibre networks capable of 10 gigabits per second, and stronger international communications through submarine and overland cables.

For network operators and equipment manufacturers, this creates overlapping demands: expand and improve the infrastructure already in use while preparing chips, devices and base stations for the next generation.

The steps already taken toward 6G

China entered the new planning period with a growing body of experimental work. At a government briefing in January 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the first phase of 6G technology trials had been completed, producing more than 300 key technology reserves, and that the second phase had begun.

Several developments during 2026 show how the programme is moving from research toward testing and coordination among industrial participants:

• January 2026: The government announced completion of the first phase of technology trials and the start of the second phase.
• May 8, 2026: The industry ministry licensed the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group to use spectrum in the 6 GHz band for testing.
• August 20, 2026: The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission convened central enterprises to advance cooperation on the 6G future industry initiative.
• September 2026: The industry ministry issued its communications sector plan for 2026 to 2030, including commercial 6G deployment when appropriate and further expansion of advanced fixed and mobile networks.
• 2030: The national informatization plan reaches its target year for network, industry and application goals.

Zhao Liangbi of Galaxy Communications identifies compound semiconductors, networks combining communications and sensing, satellite integration and networks designed around AI as likely directions for 6G development. These connect the radio network to a broader range of industrial equipment and services.

Networks that sense and connect through space

Communications and sensing integration would allow network equipment to transmit information while also detecting features such as the position or movement of objects. The plan links future connectivity with uses including industrial coordination, remote operations and the low altitude economy, which includes drone activity and related services.

Satellite internet is another major component. China plans to expand satellite services, develop direct connections between terminal devices and satellites, and bring terrestrial and space networks closer together. BeiDou navigation applications and digital infrastructure for activity at low altitudes also feature in the programme.

AI native networks would use artificial intelligence as part of their basic design and operation. Alongside sensing and satellite links, this broadens the intended role of 6G beyond simply increasing the speed at which a phone downloads data.

Companies are preparing in different parts of that chain. Guangha Communications has conducted research on 6G evolution and integrated space and terrestrial network architecture, with a focus on command and control services for sectors including power, railways and emergency response. Wuhan Fangu is developing filter products and building technical capabilities for 5G-A and 6G. Filters help radio equipment select the signals it needs and limit interference.

Computing growth comes with an energy target

The plan calls for a nationally integrated computing network and closer coordination between computing, electricity supplies and communications. It covers general computing, AI computing and supercomputing, while also proposing exploratory research into computing in space.

Those categories serve different needs. General computing supports routine digital work; AI computing handles the large calculations used to train and operate models; supercomputing tackles especially demanding scientific and engineering problems. Coordinating their development is intended to support the wider spread of digital services and industrial applications.

New large and very large computing facilities face an efficiency target: operating power usage effectiveness, or PUE, should fall from 1.25 to below 1.2. PUE compares the electricity used by an entire facility with the electricity used by its computing equipment. A lower figure means less additional power is needed for cooling and other supporting systems.

At a PUE of 1.25, a facility uses 25 units of supporting electricity for every 100 units consumed by computing equipment. Below 1.2, that supporting use would be under 20 units. The measure tracks efficiency as China expands the computing capacity needed for AI and other services.

The same infrastructure programme includes a national blockchain network. Blockchain is a way for multiple participants to maintain a shared record of transactions or information. The official announcement places its substantial completion alongside the development of communications and computing networks.

Chips and research underpin the industrial goals

Semiconductors receive attention across both established and advanced manufacturing processes. The plan calls for better production using mature chip technologies, stronger manufacturing capabilities for advanced processes, and progress in integrating computing with memory, stacking components in three dimensions, and combining optical and electronic technologies.

These approaches address different parts of the computing problem. Bringing memory and processing closer together can reduce the movement of data, while three dimensional integration allows components to be arranged vertically. The plan also covers operating systems, software development tools and new database architectures.

Research spending intensity in computer, communications and other electronic equipment manufacturing is targeted to rise from 3.03% to 3.6%. Valid domestic invention patents in core digital industries are expected to increase from 2.375 million to 3.266 million, a rise of approximately 891,000, or 37.5%.

Research priorities include foundational AI models, approaches inspired by the brain, and swarm intelligence, in which multiple participants coordinate their behaviour. The programme also seeks closer links between research and industrial development through technology innovation centres, industry centres and work on shared technical problems.

Factories, farms and trade enter the programme

China plans to preserve strengths in mobile communications, connected vehicles and drones while developing products in integrated circuits, advanced displays, AI and blockchain. Quantum technology, brain computer interfaces, embodied intelligence and 6G are also identified for industrial applications. Embodied intelligence refers to AI operating through a physical system, such as a robot.

The proposed AI plus manufacturing initiative connects those technology ambitions to production. Agriculture is covered across its production chain, while construction and services are also included in the push toward digital and intelligent operations.

The economic targets extend beyond domestic production. Cross border ecommerce imports and exports are expected to rise from 2.84 trillion yuan in 2025 to 3.5 trillion yuan in 2030, an increase of about 23%. The plan also includes work on overseas development by digital businesses, greater openness in digital services and easier cross border data flows.

Seven dedicated programme sections cover infrastructure, innovation, industry, intelligent social development and governance, regional coordination, overseas business development and cross border data flows. Together, they connect industrial ambitions with the networks, market access and administrative arrangements needed to support them.

Public services and skills are part of the same effort

Government departments are expected to expand AI applications and increase the range of services available across provincial boundaries. For people living or working away from their home province, wider access would mean being able to handle more administrative matters without returning there.

Education, healthcare, medical insurance, community services, transport, tourism, sports, elder care and support for people with disabilities are all included. The plan also tracks electronic social security card coverage and the proportion of enterprises whose key business processes are fully digital.

Internet penetration is targeted to increase from 80.1% to 85%. IPv6 traffic should rise from 33.79% to 42%. IPv6 is a version of the internet addressing system that provides a much larger supply of addresses for connected devices.

Skills are another measurable priority. The share of adults with advanced digital literacy and skills is expected to rise from 16.26% to 25%, an increase of 8.74 percentage points. Nationwide AI literacy education is intended to accompany wider access to devices and services.

Security and delivery will shape implementation

The plan pairs wider use of AI and data with stronger cybersecurity, data security and personal information protection. It calls for improved AI governance and work on legislation and standards covering artificial intelligence, the digital economy, autonomous driving and the low altitude economy.

The Cyberspace Administration of China, which prepared the programme with other departments, will strengthen coordination between ministries and between central and local authorities. Implementation will be monitored and assessed, and national informatization development reports are to be published regularly.

Funding measures include the coordinated use of fiscal resources and industrial funds, encouragement for financial institutions to support digital industries, and investment willing to support projects over longer periods. Training will cover public officials and people working across multiple technical disciplines.

The programme brings several tests together for 2030: whether networks and computing expand, whether businesses adopt the technology, whether people gain useful services and skills, and whether security protections keep pace. Its measurable targets give those ambitions a set of benchmarks against which progress can be assessed.

Key Points

• China targets adoption above 90% for a combined category of next generation smart devices, AI agents and related applications by 2030, up from 40% in 2025.
• Commercial 6G deployment is included in the 2030 objectives, with timing tied to readiness.
• 5G and 5G-A base stations are expected to rise from 34 to 50 per 10,000 people.
• Core digital industries are targeted to contribute 12.5% of GDP, up from 10.5%.
• The programme combines chip research, computing infrastructure and industrial applications with public services and digital skills.
• Implementation includes monitoring, funding support, AI governance and stronger protection of data and personal information.