In March 2025, the International Association of Intelligent Engineering and Technology (AIET) officially released the 2025 White Paper on the Development of the Intelligent Engineering and Technology Industry (hereinafter referred to as the White Paper), comprehensively and systematically reviewing and analyzing the current development status, key trends, and future directions of the global intelligent engineering and technology industry. The release of the report drew broad attention from the industry and was regarded as one of the most authoritative and valuable annual industry research outputs in the field of intelligent engineering and technology.

The White Paper was led and compiled by the AIET Research Committee and brought together research contributions and professional insights from more than 200 industry experts, scholars, and corporate executives from over 15 countries and regions worldwide. The report took eight months to prepare and adopted a methodology combining quantitative analysis and qualitative research. Data sources covered government statistics from major global economies, industry association reports, corporate annual reports, academic paper databases, and large-scale industry survey questionnaires independently conducted by AIET, ensuring the objectivity, comprehensiveness, and forward-looking nature of the research conclusions.

In the field of intelligent manufacturing, the White Paper notes that the global intelligent manufacturing market exceeded USD 450 billion in 2024 and is expected to continue expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 12.8% by 2028. The report especially emphasizes the core driving role of digital twin technology, flexible production systems, and intelligent quality inspection in the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing, and provides a comparative analysis of intelligent manufacturing policies in major industrial countries.

In industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the report provides a detailed analysis of the explosive growth trend in the number of connected IoT devices and predicts that the number of industrial IoT connected devices worldwide will exceed 36 billion by 2027. At the same time, the report deeply examines the latest progress in key technologies such as edge computing, private 5G networks, and industrial data security, as well as their far-reaching impact on the industrial landscape, and proposes specific recommendations for improving the industrial IoT standards system.

In the field of artificial intelligence engineering applications, the White Paper focuses on implementation cases of generative AI, large language models, and autonomous decision-making systems in engineering design, project management, operation and maintenance optimization, and other stages. It points out that AI engineering has fully moved from the proof-of-concept stage into the stage of large-scale deployment, and predicts that AI will reshape more than 60% of traditional engineering workflows within the next three years.

The Director of the AIET Research Committee stated: "The release of the White Paper aims to provide global intelligent engineering practitioners, decision-makers, and researchers with a comprehensive, in-depth, and actionable industry reference guide. Through continuous research output, we hope to help all parties in the industry better grasp the pulse of technological development and make more forward-looking strategic decisions." The electronic version of the report has been made available for free download to members on the official AIET website, and the printed version may be ordered through the Association Secretariat. AIET also announced that it will hold a special interpretation seminar in the third quarter of 2025, inviting the report core author team and industry representatives for in-depth exchange.