On November 3, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) officially released the Functional Architecture of Industrial Internet System for Industrial Automation Applications, which was led by China. The successful release of this standard also means that China’s industrial Internet technology development level and application promotion effect have been recognized internationally, which strongly supports the development of global industrial Internet technology and industry. It is reported that IEC is the earliest international electrotechnical standardization organization in the world, and together with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), it is known as the world’s three major international standards organizations.

Industrial Internet is an important method and key path to realize the digital transformation of manufacturing industry. However, due to barriers between industries, it is difficult to form a cross industry, replicable and promotable solution for industrial Internet. Therefore, the formulation of industrial Internet related standards is an important guarantee to promote the vigorous development of the industry. With standards, the development of the industrial Internet industry will have a “beacon” of navigation.

As a core basic standard in the field of industrial Internet, this standard has standardized the end cloud architecture of industrial Internet systems for the first time, effectively filling the gap in international standards. It is of great significance for standardizing the architecture construction of cross industry and cross domain industrial Internet platforms in various countries, and promoting the global application and promotion of China’s industrial Internet platform products.

This standard was proposed by China and jointly developed by experts from Germany, France, South Korea and other countries. In the four years from the launch of the project in 2018 to the release of the standard in 2022, facing the challenges of the global epidemic outbreak and technical coordination, the working group overcame many difficulties and finally successfully completed all the work. The successful release of this standard marks the international recognition of the technical development level and application promotion effect of China’s industrial Internet system, which strongly supports the development of global industrial Internet technology and industry.

As a country with the largest manufacturing industry and the most complete industrial sectors in the world, China’s digital economy has achieved leapfrog development in the past decade, with a total scale of more than 45 trillion. The application of industrial Internet covers 45 major categories of the national economy, with an industrial scale of more than one trillion yuan. It connects nearly 80 million sets of industrial equipment. The construction and promotion of industrial Internet platforms have achieved remarkable results, and technology exploration and application are comprehensive.