On September 11th, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the "AI + Software" Special Action Implementation Plan (the "Plan"). The Plan outlines that by 2028, the intelligence level of the software and information technology services industry will be significantly enhanced, cultivating a batch of high-level intelligent programming tools and development platforms. The adoption of these tools is expected to cover 20,000 enterprises above a designated size in the software sector.
The Plan further details that key software will see significant advancements in intelligent upgrades, with the cumulative implementation of 100 intelligent technical renovation projects for software companies. New software forms, represented by agentic software, are expected to emerge rapidly, with 100 benchmark applications of agentic software established in key industries. Information technology services are set to leap towards intelligence and higher value, forming a collection of in-depth industry solutions and typical use cases. In the open-source community, positive progress is anticipated through collaborative development, with the incubation of over 5 high-quality open-source projects.
On the same day, the MIIT held a press conference for the Plan. Wang Weiwei, Deputy Director of the Information Technology Development Department at MIIT, noted that China's software industry possesses a vast scale, a wealth of application scenarios, and active open-source contributions, which form a solid foundation for advancing the "AI + Software" initiative.
Data indicates that in 2025, the overall industry revenue reached 15.48 trillion yuan, 6.2 times that of 2012, with an average annual compound growth rate of 15.1%. The level of fundamental software, such as domestic operating systems and databases, has improved rapidly. Industrial software has formed a product system covering key industries. The influence of China's open-source ecosystem, represented by domestic large models, is continuously growing, and new business models and formats in software and information services are constantly emerging. As of June 2026, the average daily token calls in China have surpassed 500 trillion.
Discussing the rationale behind the Plan, Wang Weiwei explained that artificial intelligence is currently reshaping the software industry at an unprecedented pace, manifesting in three primary ways. First, there is a transformation in software production methods, with intelligent programming tools penetrating the entire development lifecycle—from requirements analysis and code generation to testing and operations—significantly improving efficiency and lowering barriers. This shifts software development from a supply-driven model to one involving both supply and demand participation.
Second, there is a reconstruction of software product forms. Software is evolving from tools that passively execute instructions to intelligent partners that understand intent and autonomously complete tasks. Innovative forms like skill packages are continuously expanding the boundaries of software functionality, and agent-like software is moving rapidly towards large-scale application. Third, there is a reshaping of service models, with new service paradigms accelerating the shift in software delivery from selling products to providing capabilities.
"At the same time, we must acknowledge that technological iteration is accelerating unprecedentedly, bringing increased ethical, security, and risk concerns. The industry's development faces both opportunities and challenges," Wang Weiwei said. He added that China's software industry has a solid foundation to seize this round of AI opportunities, but the depth and breadth of integration still need improvement, requiring stronger guidance and systematic advancement.
He stated that the MIIT's formulation and introduction of the Plan is a response to the trend of intelligent software upgrades. It aims to accelerate the use of AI to enhance software and information technology services, drive systematic upgrades in production methods, product forms, service models, and industrial structure, and continuously improve China's software industry amidst the intelligent transformation.
Recently, office-based agent products have quickly gained popularity, with "letting AI do the work just by talking" becoming a new trend in the workplace. "Agent" has also become a hot topic in society. The Plan proposes cultivating a new ecosystem for agentic software and creating 100 benchmark applications in key industries.
When asked about the development prospects of agents, Zhu Min, Vice President of the China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID), stated that agentic software is a new software form emerging from AI development. Possessing autonomous perception, memory, decision-making, interaction, and execution capabilities, it has vast development potential. The Plan systematically deploys efforts across three levels: technology, products, and applications.
First, to strengthen the technological foundation, the Plan proposes enhancing research on engineering technologies like agent runtime frameworks to improve reliable execution of complex tasks and multi-agent collaboration capabilities. It supports the construction of agent development platforms, refining the toolchain for R&D, testing, deployment, and operations, while also improving integration and adaptation with existing software systems to ensure agents can connect and utilize a company's legacy systems, thereby accelerating large-scale adoption.
Second, to cultivate a product system, the Plan promotes the multi-path development of agentic software for different scenarios and deployment methods. This includes developing general-purpose agent software applicable across diverse scenarios such as information processing, office collaboration, and lifestyle services. It also encourages empowering internet applications and services with agents and accelerating the development of terminal agent software with lightweight reasoning and privacy protection capabilities. For high-value industry scenarios, the Plan focuses on integrating knowledge graphs and data resources to create professional agent software for vertical domains. In particular, for core industrial processes, it aims to develop safe, reliable, and behavior-verifiable industrial agents deeply integrated into the full production and operation process.
Third, to build an application marketplace, the Plan notes that an agent's "capabilities" derive from a rich supply of skills. It proposes establishing an application store for agentic software and a resource library for skill packages, standardizing listing reviews and operational management. It guides various innovation entities to develop high-quality professional skill packages and knowledge bases, encourages software companies to create functional components for agents, and helps consolidate industry knowledge. The Plan also hopes to cultivate a dedicated open-source zone for agents, building a diverse, collaborative, and skill-sharing open ecosystem.
"Moving forward, we will provide research support, testing and evaluation, and ecosystem services around these tasks to help ensure their effective implementation and serve the cultivation of the new agentic software business format," Zhu Min concluded.