Sichuan Unveils ‘AI+’ Strategy Across 20 Key Sectors
Sichuan Province has unveiled one of China’s most comprehensive subnational artificial intelligence strategies, announcing an “AI+” development plan that will integrate artificial intelligence across 20 key sectors ranging from manufacturing and healthcare to education and emergency management. The strategy, formalized through the “Sichuan Province Accelerating the ‘AI+’ No. 1 Innovation Project Implementation Plan,” positions the southwestern province as a major contender in China’s AI-driven economic transformation.
Issued by the Sichuan Provincial Government General Office on May 5, 2026, and published on May 6, the plan establishes a “three-step” roadmap with quantified targets for 2027, 2030, and 2035, as reported by People’s Daily.
A Three-Step Roadmap to an Intelligent Economy
The plan sets increasingly ambitious milestones. By 2027, Sichuan aims for AI to be deeply integrated with key sectors, with smart terminal and agent adoption rates exceeding 70%. The province expects to form two to three nationally competitive industry clusters and support approximately 10 nationally influential industry benchmark large models, alongside 20 application scenario labs.
By 2030, the targets escalate significantly: one to two national-level emerging industry clusters, 200 smart manufacturing advanced factories, over 2,500 AI enterprises, and an industry scale exceeding 400 billion yuan ($55 billion). Smart terminal and agent adoption rates should surpass 90%. The long-term vision extends to 2035, when the province aims to fully transition into an intelligent economy and intelligent society, according to the official government document.
20 Sectors, One Vision
The strategy’s scope is remarkably broad, covering scientific research, manufacturing, producer services, agriculture, the low-altitude economy, healthcare, culture and tourism, geology and minerals, energy, transportation, commerce, education, employment, elderly care and health, civil-military integration, emergency management, government services, urban-rural governance, cyberspace governance and public security, and international cooperation.
Each sector receives tailored focus areas. In manufacturing, the plan calls for smart factories, AI-driven process design, and intelligent robots. In healthcare, it targets smart diagnosis models and AI-assisted medical devices. The low-altitude economy — a priority sector in China — will benefit from 3D low-altitude data infrastructure and drone logistics. Agriculture will see smart breeding, disease control, and Beidou-guided machinery, as detailed in CNR/Sichuan Daily coverage.
Innovative Policy Instruments
Beyond sectoral targets, the plan introduces novel policy mechanisms to accelerate adoption. The province will expand its “computing vouchers” (suanli quan) program and launch “token vouchers” (ciyuan quan) — a new instrument designed to subsidize AI model inference costs for enterprises. A financing “whitelist” will provide streamlined lending for innovative AI companies, while special local government bonds will fund AI infrastructure projects.
By 2030, Sichuan aims to achieve intelligent computing capacity of 100 EFLOPS (exaflops), with intelligent computing accounting for over 85% of total computing capacity. The province also plans to establish a departmental responsibility mechanism where “those who manage the industry must manage AI applications,” creating strong institutional incentives for sector-specific adoption.
Strategic Context and Significance
The plan represents a significant escalation in China’s subnational AI policy landscape. Designating AI as a “No. 1 Innovation Project” signals that Sichuan is treating artificial intelligence as its top economic priority, placing it above other development initiatives.
This provincial push aligns with national directives. The 20th CPC Central Committee’s Fourth Plenary Session called for comprehensively implementing the “AI+” action, and the State Council issued its own “Opinions on Deeply Implementing the ‘AI+’ Action” (Guo Fa [2025] No. 11). Sichuan’s strategy builds on earlier groundwork, including the “AI Industry Chain Overall Work Plan (2024-2027)” released in November 2024 and 26 key measures announced in December 2024 to build the AI ecosystem, as previously reported by People’s Daily.
Challenges Ahead
While ambitious, the plan faces significant implementation hurdles. Coordinating 20 sectors across multiple government departments presents a complex management challenge. Sichuan must also compete with established AI hubs like Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen for top talent. Data governance issues — including privacy, security, and interoperability — remain to be resolved as the province pushes forward with its AI agenda.
The plan explicitly addresses some of these concerns. On employment, it includes measures for lifelong vocational training and digital recruitment platforms to manage the transition. On safety, it proposes “sandbox regulation” mechanisms and generative AI safety assessments to balance innovation with risk management.
What to Watch
As Sichuan begins implementing its AI+ strategy, key indicators to monitor include the pace of smart factory construction, the effectiveness of the novel token voucher program in stimulating enterprise adoption, and whether the province can successfully cultivate AI talent at scale. Success could provide a model for other Chinese provinces pursuing AI-driven economic transformation, while setbacks could highlight the challenges of coordinating such a sweeping initiative.
The coming months will reveal how effectively Sichuan translates this ambitious blueprint into on-the-ground results — and whether its “No. 1 Innovation Project” can deliver on the promise of an intelligent economy.