A smart workshop in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Ningbo Daily]

Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province recently unveiled an action plan to build itself into a national hub for the industrial internet sector.

According to the plan, the city will strive to facilitate industrial digitalization and build a global R&D base for industrial internet to bolster the high-quality development of the manufacturing sector. 

By 2025, Ningbo aims to build 40,000 5G base stations and more than 20 factories powered by 5G networks.

Industrial clusters with a scale of 100 billion yuan ($15.38 billion) in the city are all expected to be installed with a smart management system by that time.

In addition, Ningbo will strengthen its innovation efforts with an aim to master 50 core technologies in fields underpinning industrial internet development like 5G, edge computing, blockchain, and artificial intelligence.

It is also set to house more than three innovation platforms in related fields with nationwide influence.

Meanwhile, efforts will also be put in place to cement the integration of industrial internet with new-generation information technologies.

By 2025, the city will house more than 15 provincial "future plants" and over 10 national demonstration industrial internet platforms.

A total of 100,000 small and medium-sized enterprises are expected to be included in the city's digital drive.

Ningbo also aims to lift the scale of its industrial internet sector to above 300 billion yuan by 2025 and cultivate a globally leading enterprise in the sector.