China to Accelerate Promotion of AI-Powered Consumer Electronics and Smart Devices
Seven Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, have jointly issued guidelines to accelerate the promotion and application of AI-powered devices such as smartphones, PCs, wearables, robots, and smart home products. The policy aims to establish national AI application pilot testing bases in the consumer sector and build "AI + consumption" hubs to stimulate domestic demand. This policy highlights China's strategic push to integrate artificial intelligence into everyday consumer hardware, driving the transition toward AI-native devices. By setting a target for retail sales of consumer goods to reach 60 trillion RMB by 2030, the government is leveraging AI technology as a key driver for economic growth and industrial upgrading. The guidelines outline plans to establish national AI application pilot testing bases to refine R&D mechanisms and launch high-potential smart products. Additionally, the policy supports the development of silver economy products, promoting technologies like brain-computer interfaces and AI in elderly care devices such as exoskeleton robots and smart mattresses.
## BACKGROUND
A "pilot testing base" (中试基地) in China refers to an intermediary facility that bridges laboratory research and industrial-scale production, helping to test and refine technologies before commercialization. As global tech companies race to integrate on-device AI features into hardware, China is actively using policy support to ensure its domestic consumer electronics industry remains globally competitive.