Since 2010, tech giants have expanded their reach beyond the internet; their forays into chip manufacturing, automotive production, and robotics are no longer a novelty. Whether it’s Apple, Google, Baidu, or Xiaomi, their official announcements of venturing into traditional industries have created a sense of incongruity. You might think that behind tech companies’ integration into the real economy lies a hidden battle between tech titans and industrial giants. In reality, this is not the case. The convergence of these two distinct paths has given rise to “new real-economy enterprises,” charting a new course for investment promotion.
01. No Battle, No Understanding
It is undeniable that the internet represents the virtual economy and is fundamentally incompatible with the real economy. However, as times have evolved, “Internet Plus” has integrated into every aspect of real-world enterprises—from production and operations to sales—using advanced technology to drive transformation in the real economy and giving birth to “new real-world enterprises.” Tech giants are making lateral inroads, with outsiders challenging the established positions of insiders, aiming to revolutionize traditional physical enterprises. By integrating AI recognition, remote control, and big data, they are merging information with industry, fundamentally reshaping traditional physical enterprises. Leveraging internet technology, they enable enterprises to go beyond a single production line, achieving the integration and interconnectivity of supply chains, industrial chains, and value chains. In September of this year, Alibaba’s “Rhino Smart Factory” officially debuted, achieving full-chain digitization from production to consumption. Its core capabilities lie in “on-demand customization, minimum orders of 100 units, and delivery as fast as seven days.” This marks the practical implementation of “new manufacturing,” utilizing big data to establish a “production-based-on-sales” model, thereby transforming manufacturing production methods and corporate structures. Industrial enterprises, meanwhile, are extending their supply chains vertically. Facing dual pressures to reduce reliance on U.S. imports and meet ecological and environmental standards, they have embarked on a path of transformation and upgrading toward Industry 4.0. On one hand, they are deepening their focus on niche sectors, expanding upstream and downstream segments of the industrial chain, and rapidly filling gaps in the supply chain. On the other hand, they are continuously increasing R&D investment, introducing advanced equipment, specialized technologies, and essential talent to master core technologies and pursue a path of independent innovation.
02. Different Paths, Same Destination
It is evident that tech giants, through a new approach to allocating technological resources, have provided industrial enterprises with a direction for transformation and upgrading, while also bringing development opportunities to traditional manufacturing firms.After decades of development, leading tech companies have leveraged their existing underlying architectures and platforms to master the application scenarios of big data and digitalization. By working backward from consumer-end orders to identify production-end needs, they play a driving role behind the scenes. For example, Xiaomi is extending its reach into the automotive sector. By leveraging its accumulated expertise in positioning, recognition, and 3D scene mapping, it aims to secure a leading position in the field of autonomous driving in the future, bringing innovation to the automotive industry. As industrial enterprises delve deeply into the entire industrial chain, they leverage the advantages of the internet, combining their own industry experience and external environmental factors to select appropriate transformation models. They are shifting from centralized, large-scale production methods toward personalized and customized approaches, using technology to break through bottlenecks and embody the form of the "new real economy." Practice has proven that when tech giants venture into physical industries where they have no prior experience, they are not merely creating unnecessary trouble for themselves. Instead, they transform the old into the new, achieving the integration of old and new industries and enabling “new physical enterprises” to surge forward.
03. Investment Promotion Aligning with New Entity Enterprises
What are “new real-economy enterprises”? Which ones should investment promotion efforts prioritize?
The Essence of Dedicated Service
Sectors that have long provided dedicated support to the real economy, such as information technology and software engineering. Through the interconnection of big data, these sectors meticulously map out industrial chains, application domains, and regional distributions for leading industries. They extend, supplement, and strengthen each link in the chain, continuously adding value, empowering, and enhancing intelligence throughout the development process.
Focus on Niche Sectors
These are the “hidden champions” in niche industries—operating in fields that are narrow and deep rather than broad and shallow. These enterprises possess strong innovation capabilities, master core technologies, and hold significant market share. Take sealing rings, for example: though they are small components, hundreds or even thousands are used in a single nuclear power plant. Who would have thought that a small enterprise in Ningbo cracked the code on this sealing technology?
Unlocking Market Potential
While current enterprise valuations are relatively low, there is significant room for future growth. With the introduction of the “Dual Carbon” goals, companies engaged in clean energy and energy-saving equipment will inevitably become key targets for investment promotion. In the future, the prosperity of these industries will rise in tandem with market demand.
Conclusion
Times are changing rapidly, and technological advancement remains the key to industrial transformation. Science and technology are the primary productive forces; therefore, investment promotion efforts must prioritize companies with disruptive innovative technologies, and fostering a “new generation” of enterprises is imperative.
In the process of attracting investment, we must not only target traditional manufacturing enterprises but also leverage information technology companies specializing in cloud computing and big data to drive the transformation of traditional enterprises from manufacturing to “smart manufacturing + services.” This will facilitate collaboration among enterprises and the sharing of resources across all stages, enabling a rapid response to end-market demands—a development that will become the greatest driving force behind the new real economy.
