The scale of China's core artificial intelligence (AI) industry is expected to exceed 1.2 trillion yuan (about $170 billion) in 2025, according to a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) noted at an industry forum held recently in Beijing that AI technology has reached a pivotal turning point, accelerating its shift from technical innovation to generating real-world productive forces.

The institute highlighted significant upgrades in large AI models this year, with their language and multi-modal understanding capabilities improving by 30 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

The sector of embodied intelligence -- which integrates AI with robotics -- has also seen rapid expansion, securing over 40 billion yuan in financing and involving more than 350 companies across the industrial chain.

Beyond AI, the CAICT outlined a roadmap for next-generation connectivity at the event, predicting that China will launch commercial 6G applications around 2030, with large-scale deployment expected by 2035.