Two dates from 2022 are destined to echo in geopolitical history. The first, Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, hardly needs further elaboration. The second is October 7, 2022, when the United States enacted a new set of export controls designed to cripple China's future progress in AI technology. Rather than target AI software, the export controls choke off China's access to the advanced (and almost exclusively American-designed) computer chip hardware that powers AI. More than a decade of breakthrough after breakthrough in AI technology has convinced policymakers in both Beijing and Washington that leadership in AI technology is foundational to the future of economic and military power.

The Industry 4.0 market is poised to grow significantly. The increasing adoption of IoT in the digital transformation of manufacturing and related industries, the rise of industrial robotics and the proportionally higher spend in the Industrial Internet of Things are just some contributing factors. While we are still in the early days of Industry 4.0 and challenges remain on many fronts such as the integration of IT and OT, data capabilities, implementation challenges, guidelines and strategic capacities, skills, culture, standards and the maturity/readiness levels on the path from sheer optimization/automation to real transformation, Industry 4.0 is also driven by myriad challenges in the supply chain and customer expectations. The Industry 4.0 technology market is forecasted to reach $152.31 In an ongoing quest to deliver the value of Industry 4.0, it is certainly also boosted by national and supra-national pushes in a changing geopolitical industrial ecosystem, further driven by some of the larger players and alliances in the industry.

The US presidential election next Tuesday will shape the world for years, if not decades, to come. Not only because Joe Biden and Donald Trump have radically different ideas about immigration, health care, race, the economy, climate change, and the role of the state itself, but because they represent very different visions of the US's future as a technology superpower. As a nonprofit, MIT Technology Review cannot endorse a candidate. Our main message is that whoever wins, it will not be enough for him to fix the US's abject failures in handling the pandemic and to take climate change seriously. He will also have to get the country back on a competitive footing with China, a rapidly rising tech superpower that now has the added advantage of not being crippled by covid-19.

One of China's fastest growing robotic startups is ramping up its international expansion, even as Trump's tariffs force the company to dial back on its US ambitions. Geek Plus Robotics automates supply chains by replacing warehouse workers with bots. The Beijing-based company recently raised more than 100 million dollars and expects to more than double that at its next funding round. China correspondent Tom Mackenzie spoke exclusively to the company's founder and CEO in Beijing about the firm' plans.

The Industry 4.0 market is poised to grow significantly in the coming years. The increasing adoption of the IoT in the digital transformation of manufacturing and related industries, the rise of industrial robotics and the proportionally higher spend in the Industrial Internet of Things are just some contributing factors. While we are still in the early days of Industry 4.0 and challenges remain on many fronts such as the integration of IT and OT, data capabilities, implementation challenges, guidelines and strategic capacities, skills, culture, standards and the maturity/readiness levels on the path from sheer optimization/automation to real transformation, Industry 4.0 is also driven by myriad challenges in the supply chain and customer expectations. In an ongoing quest to deliver the value of Industry 4.0, it is certainly also boosted by national and supra-national pushes in a changing geopolitical industrial ecosystem, further driven by some of the larger players and alliances in the industry. It's interesting to take a look at the key evolutions, drivers and areas of spending in the digital transformation of manufacturing, which Industry 4.0 ultimately is.

Yes--but it's far from enough to satisfy China hawks like U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Markets clearly recognize this: The S&P 500 ended up only 0.5% Wednesday after the news broke. Moreover, the China 2025 plan itself--despite all the attention it has received--may be less menacing than it seems. What's really needed to take negotiations to the next level, and assuage market concerns, is for China to enact a few big-bang reforms to convince foreigners that Xi Jinping's administration is committed to level dealing. Doing away entirely with most joint-venture requirements--instead of endless foot-dragging and qualifications--is one possibility.

Workshop 18 is designated by Chinese industry officials as a model demonstration facility for Beijing's plan to upgrade its corporate champions so they can better compete in the world, a policy known as "Made in China 2025." The adoption of robots, big data and other technological advancements is seen by Chinese leaders as key to developing domestic giants in areas such as power equipment, electric cars, marine products and chips--sectors it aims to become largely self-sufficient by the middle of the next decade. Sany, one of China's three big heavy machinery makers, said the integration of technology has increased capacity, shortened order-delivery times and slashed operational costs, all by at least 20%. The company is also betting that the technology will enable it to build a reputation for innovation and quality, rather than for lower prices for copycat products that made Sany a big player domestically. "The future of the heavy-equipment industry will rely as much on software and data as it does on hardware," Sany's Chief Information Officer Pan Ruigang said. The "Made in China 2025" strategy has drawn criticism in Washington, with members of President Trump's administration accusing Beijing of using subsidies and protectionism to unfairly bolster Chinese companies.

Only a handful of countries and companies have any real hope of winning the race for artificial intelligence supremacy. China, Germany, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the US are among the national contenders and primarily Chinese and American companies lead the pack of commercial contenders, including Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent, Amazon, Facebook, and Google. What distinguishes all of them is the resources they have already devoted and the achievements they have already made in the AI arena. They are poised to leap further and further ahead of those who are lagging behind or have not yet even entered the race. While Germany, Japan, and South Korea are focused primarily on commercial applications, Russia excels in military applications, and the US maintains its general lead (for the time being) in the space, but only China and these leading Chinese companies have positioned themselves to sprint ahead of all the others in the coming decade.

Keeko is just 45 centimeters tall, or one-foot seven inches, and weighs only 45 kilograms, roughly 99 pounds. Gliding across the room to the amazement of starry-eyed five-year-olds, it rolls its head and tells the transfixed children "remember to wash your hands before you eat." They all giggle and rush to cuddle the diminutive AI robot with the cutesy, cartoon character voice, and stare with utter bewilderment. In nursery schools across China, Keeko models are being brought in as teaching aids to engage and stimulate young and impressionable minds. With the assistance of her "little helper," Yang Huizhen showed her class the importance of recycling.

President Xi Jinping's "Made in China 2025" strategy, unveiled in 2015 and now thrust back into the limelight by President Trump's bellicose stance on trade, holds three important lesson for global industry. This should be a non-controversial statement, but it is not. Economists often mock "the manufacturing fetish" and argue there is no reason to consider manufacturing a better driver of economic growth than any other sector. As economies get richer, they tend to shift from agriculture to industry, and then to services. Manufacturing accounted for nearly 30% of the U.S. economy in the 1950s; it was still 20% in the 1980s; today it accounts for just 11%.