The initiative was formally introduced on October 12 during the opening ceremony of the 26th China International Industry Fair.
The city’s new intelligent manufacturing programme includes four major development areas and 19 priority tasks covering industrial technology, AI integration, smart factory development and manufacturing infrastructure.
By 2028, Shanghai aims to establish 500 advanced smart factories and introduce artificial intelligence across more than 2,000 industrial applications. The programme also calls for the development of 10 specialized industrial AI models and 300 advanced AI agents.
Humanoid robotics forms part of the broader manufacturing strategy, with the city targeting 8,000 robots operating in factory environments within the next two years.
Shanghai also plans to increase industrial robot density to 600 units per 10,000 manufacturing workers and expand its AI-enabled intelligent manufacturing equipment industry beyond RMB 200 billion.
The city has already established a substantial industrial automation base. According to figures presented at the event, Shanghai currently has two nationally recognized leading smart factories and 28 factories classified at the national excellence level.
Its intelligent manufacturing equipment industry generates more than RMB 150 billion in annual output, while the city’s systems integration sector exceeds RMB 60 billion.
The new initiative establishes one of China’s more ambitious regional targets for industrial humanoid deployment.
The 8,000-unit figure remains a policy objective. Shanghai has not disclosed which robotics manufacturers will supply the robots, how deployment volumes will be distributed across factories or what procurement arrangements will support the programme.
