[Source/Observation Network by Liu Chenghui]

China's artificial intelligence (AI) continues to attract international media attention. On June 4, the U.S.-based CNBC published an article analyzing that Chinese enterprises are keen on embracing new technologies, and China's supply chain is gaining greater advantages through integrating AI technology. The increase in automation has further strengthened the irreplaceability of "Made in China."

The report pointed out that Trump's tariff policies made many American companies realize their high dependence on Chinese factories. Now, as more and more Chinese factories adopt AI and robotic technologies to reduce costs and improve quality, global enterprises will find it even harder to resist "Made in China."

Oshri Cohen, CEO of Israel-based visual technology startup Cybord, said that Chinese companies actively adopt new technological tools, and he believes that Cybord's AI quality control tool will find major clients in China this year. Last month, the company announced the integration of this tool into Siemens' factory management system.

On March 1, in the Qianwan New Area of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, dozens of UBT industrial humanoid robots conducted large-scale practical training at the Zeekr 5G smart factory. Visual China

Oshri Cohen, who once served as vice president of NVIDIA's supply chain department, predicted that despite geopolitical pressures driving the diversification of supply chains, this would反而 make Chinese factories more competitive. "Manufacturing will return to China," but differently from before, future "Made in China" will become a symbol of high quality.

According to data from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), which was cited by Stanford University, China's robot installations in 2023 were seven times that of the United States, accounting for more than half of the world's industrial robots. However, there are differences in automation levels: industries like automobiles have reduced labor demand, while garment production lines still require a large amount of manual operation.

CNBC noted that the Chinese government has outlined a blueprint for deep factory digitization over the next five years. Last month, eight departments including the Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the "Special Action Plan for Accelerating Intelligent Supply Chain Development," requiring the application of AI, blockchain, and other technologies in manufacturing and agriculture, with the goal of cultivating a hundred leading digital supply chain enterprises.

"In the field of digital transformation of manufacturing and the application of automated data analysis, Chinese enterprises have become a true force globally," said Karel Eloot, senior partner of McKinsey's Shenzhen office. Since the World Economic Forum and McKinsey launched the factory digitalization tracking in 2018, 41% of the 189 benchmark cases worldwide are located in China, covering cross-industry enterprises such as Midea, GE Healthcare, AstraZeneca, and Schneider Electric China. The report mentioned that Qingdao Hisense Hitachi Joint Venture is using generative AI to reduce inefficient meeting time and quickly guide workers to handle production line issues.

Eloot stated that Chinese enterprises are seeking efficiency improvements across the entire supply chain to consumers. He pointed out: "The competition in the Chinese market is extremely intense, and the competition between enterprises is almost cruel."

Jens Eskelund, chairman of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, once bluntly stated: "The cost efficiency of China's supply chain has formed absolute competitiveness... If you want to participate in the competition, you must come to China."

Previously, Thomas Friedman, a renowned columnist for The New York Times and author of "The World Is Flat," said in an interview that under the current development pattern of the world, humanity faces global issues such as AI governance and climate change, and China and the United States are key to solving these problems. He called for cooperation between the two sides, otherwise, more problems would arise.

"People need to understand how powerful this engine (China) is; if we don't take it seriously, we will be completely crushed," he said.

Friedman added that in the fierce market competition, China's supply chain has experienced explosive growth to meet industrial demands. The situation in the automotive and robotics industries is also similar, as China has established a complete interconnected supply chain system.

Ray Dalio, founder of the world's largest hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, said frankly in March this year: "In our lifetime, the United States will not be able to compete with China in the manufacturing sector."

"Can the combination of artificial intelligence and robotics technology bring manufacturing back to the United States? We are behind in both areas. Yes, far behind. So, I want to say that we will not have a competitive advantage in these aspects."

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Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7512487892732609058/

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