At present, the technological and industrial changes triggered by artificial intelligence technology are surging and sweeping the world, subverting the traditional production and lifestyle. At the same time, the innovative economy with traditional industries as the main body, information technology as the foundation, and data as the main line is changing with each passing day, accelerating the overall improvement of productivity. Industrial digitization and digital industrialization have become the focus of technological innovation, promoting the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry and high-quality development. The new generation of information technology has become a new driving force for the development of new quality productivity.

       Entering the information and digital age, sensors, as the source of data and information, are seen as one of the cutting-edge technologies that influence and change the world and people's production and lifestyles, and have also become an important indicator of a country's level of scientific and technological development.

1. Sensors play an important role in the development of information technology

       The development of information technology has spiraled along with the continuous iteration of the information wave. After experiencing the first three information waves with obvious characteristics, it is forming the fourth information wave represented by artificial intelligence technology through the mutual penetration, coordination and integration of technologies and resources such as big data, high computing power and large models.

       Sensors, communications and computers are known as the three pillars of modern information systems, and are at the intersection of industrial digitization and digital industrialization. As the only functional device for data acquisition, sensors provide the raw data necessary for system operation and are known as the "mother of data". In the control system, sensors are the "windows" of information, which directly affect and determine the functions of the system. To make a vivid metaphor, if a person is regarded as a complete information system, then the computer is the "brain", the communication is the "nerve", and the sensor is the "five senses" and "skin", which perceive all environmental data information and are the source of obtaining external information. It can be seen that in today's Internet of Things, without sensors, all digitalization and intelligence will be out of the question.

       In a sense, the 21st century is the era of sensors. Sensors are a basic industry with high technology content, good economic benefits, strong penetration and broad market prospects. Due to their wide application coverage and wide range of industries and fields, sensors have become the focus of international competition.

       In the mid-1970s, countries began to review and formulate various promotion policies to accelerate the development of sensor technology. According to the "2008-2009 Electronic Information Discipline Development Report" published by China Science and Technology Press in 2009, by the early 1980s, Western countries such as the United States, Japan, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom had completed relevant plans and long-term plans, focusing on promoting technology research and development and industrial development, with an annual growth rate of 20%-30%. In April 1991, the US government identified 22 key technologies in six areas for national security, scientific and technological innovation, and economic prosperity in the "National Key Technologies" report, including sensors and signal processing, as well as sensitive materials and processing technology. By 2003, sensors were listed by Forbes magazine as one of the top 10 new technologies that have the greatest impact and changed the world in the 21st century. According to a research report by the US federal government, since 2010, a budget of US$6.9 billion has been allocated annually for research on basic sensor technologies and applications. Through sensors, the material world is connected and given an electronic nervous system, which is called the Sensor Revolution. It is called the sensor revolution because the sensors themselves will also undergo qualitative changes. In the process of informatization, new principles, new technologies, new processes, new materials, etc. are constantly emerging to transform sensors. Ubiquitous sensors monitor the environment and objects around us around the clock, forcing us to change our lifestyles and behaviors. On February 12, 2024, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the latest version of the "List of Critical and Emerging Technologies", which established 18 key technical contents. Among them, in the fourth item "Advanced and Networked Sensing and Feature Management", payload sensors and instruments, sensor processing and data fusion are clearly listed, and sensor technologies and products in the fields of geophysics, transportation, security, health, energy, manufacturing, construction, and environment are focused on. Sensors are considered as strategic key technologies in the industrialization production process technologies of sensors, such as "sensory perception and recognition" in the sixth key technology "artificial intelligence (AI)", "biomaterials and sensors" in the seventh key technology "biotechnology", "quantum sensors" in the 16th key technology "quantum information technology", and "microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS)" in the 17th key technology "semiconductors and microelectronics". The updated list describes technologies in the U.S. national innovation system and national security, which will enhance the U.S.'s scientific and technological strength and intensify competition between China and the U.S. in related technology fields.

2. Current status of sensor industry development at home and abroad

       Sensors are a collection of multiple disciplines, technologies, and fields, including the entire process from sensitive mechanisms, structural design to process technology, finished product testing, and market applications, covering mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, materials, machinery, electronics, computer hardware and software, measurement, semiconductors, and many other disciplines. Sensors are metrological products, and the production process is extremely complicated. They are called "industrial handicrafts" and are difficult to industrialize. Mixed inspection or random inspection cannot be used in the production process, and both semi-finished products and finished products need to be fully inspected, tested, and calibrated. What's more, in order to continuously pursue high-precision, high-reliability, high-stability and other indicators of products, the complexity of the production process and the difficulty of industrialization have been further increased. Therefore, this also directly affects technological innovation and achievement transformation as well as the scale and benefits of the industry.

(1). Industry scale and progress

       According to the "Components Industry in 2023" released by the China Electronic Components Industry Association, according to industry statistics, the world's sensitive components and sensors can be divided into three categories: physical quantity, chemical quantity, and biological quantity, with about 31,000 types. The common eight categories are sound, force, light, magnetism, gas, temperature and humidity, radio frequency identification, and biology, with about 12,000 types. In terms of industrial distribution, there are about 11,000 companies in the world. Sales in 2020 were US$207.3 billion, and in 2023 they were US$244 billion. Among them, the top ten fields of home appliances, automobiles, industrial automation systems and equipment, energy, medical equipment, agriculture, aircraft and ships, robots, environmental protection, and municipal administration account for more than 75% of the entire market. The report pointed out that there are about 22,000 types of sensors in China, and about 7,000 are commonly used. There are about 7,310 scientific research institutions, production enterprises and distribution companies for sensitive components and sensors in China, of which only 22.5% are professional enterprises, about 1,645, and only 6% have an output value of over 100 million yuan, with only 439 in the country. Less than 1% of professional manufacturers have a complete industrial chain and a full range of products; more than 500,000 patents are applied for annually, and 91% are utility models. Compared with foreign counterparts, there is a large gap in product quality, process level, production equipment, enterprise scale, market share and comprehensive competitiveness, and the overall lag is 10-15 years. About 67% of market sales rely on imports, and about 96% of high-end products required by high-end equipment, instruments and meters, and special industries rely on imports. At present, my country's sensitive components and sensor industry is weak as a whole, with uneven product technology types, regions, enterprise scales, and application fields. There are many enterprises and low output value, and the "stuck neck" phenomenon is particularly prominent.

（2）Technological innovation and development trends

       As early as 2011, the 17th Semiconductor Association Annual Conference held in Silicon Valley, the United States publicly proposed three key technologies for the development of future sensitive components and sensors. From the perspective of international industrial development, there are three major trends: First, the concentration of the industry has increased significantly. Industrial applications represented by MEMS process technology have dominated the mainstream. Silicon Valley in the United States has been based on MEMS for nearly 20 years. According to different industry needs and functions, it has launched various product innovations with different packaging structures, solving problems such as industrial scale production, product concentration, normalization, miniaturization, and low cost. The second is intelligence and networking. Through standard traction, sensors are modularized and noded, breaking through the bottlenecks and obstacles between production and use. The third is innovation in micro-energy acquisition technology. By collecting energy such as wind, light, and electromagnetic radiation in the natural environment, the problem of long-term use and continuous power supply of smart sensors in the wild can be solved.

       It can be clearly seen from the development trend of the sensor industry in the United States that with the comprehensive development of new materials, new processes and new technologies, multiple sensitive components can be combined into one, and with the addition of processing circuits (ICs) and algorithm software, a microsystem module for multi-dimensional index testing and multi-parameter fusion can be formed. The realization of multi-function, miniaturization, digitization, systematization, networking and intelligence has enabled sensor technology to develop from a single physical image type to a multi-function, multi-parameter compound and integrated multi-technology fusion, expanding the scope of product use.

（3）Market space and application prospects

       Sensor technology and products are widely used in many fields such as smart grid, smart transportation, smart home, smart logistics, smart hospital, smart agriculture, environmental monitoring, public safety, food traceability, industrial monitoring, biomedicine, and elderly care. At the same time, these application scenarios also provide ample development space for sensor technology innovation. The "2023 Component Industry Analysis Report" also pointed out that in the case of a global economic decline or slowdown, the total market size of sensitive components and sensors is still growing, with an average increase of 15%, an annual total output of more than 2 billion, and production and sales exceeding US$244 billion. More than 130 product types such as infrared temperature measurement, blood pressure, blood lipids, blood oxygen, pulse, and carbon dioxide gas in epidemic prevention and control have shown explosive growth. Therefore, whether it is aerospace vehicles, vehicles, mobile terminals, or robots, they are all platforms for installing sensors. To some extent, there would be no big data and control models without sensors, and sensors determine the function of the system.

3. Problems and causes of the development of my country's sensor industry

       At present, the situation that my country mainly relies on imports of sensors has not changed, and there is a large gap with developed countries in terms of sensitive materials, product design, processing, packaging and testing, etc. Most of the domestic enterprises are small and micro enterprises, with weak total scale, innovation ability and development potential. It is difficult for them to cope with the challenges brought by technological innovation and commercial competition, and it is also difficult for them to adapt to the rapid growth and innovation needs driven by domestic industrial upgrading and the development of new quality productivity.

       The causes are as follows: First, from the perspective of national strategic planning and policies, it has been in a state of disorderly growth for a long time, resulting in industrial dispersion, insufficient concentration, small scale, incomplete industrial chain, poor integration and serious hollowing out, making it difficult to enter the track of healthy development. Second, resource matching and capital attention are insufficient, and the problems of difficulty in obtaining loans and high financing costs have long existed. The overall technical equipment is backward, while the investment demand for process technology equipment is large, and enterprises are unable to carry out technological transformation and equipment upgrades. Third, it is difficult to transform scientific and technological achievements, and scientific and technological research and development is out of touch with industrial production. Most of the innovation resources are in the hands of scientific research institutes, and the independent innovation capabilities of enterprises are weak. There is a lack of effective ways to transform scientific and technological achievements, and the industrial development momentum is insufficient and not sustainable enough. Fourth, the orientation of talent flow is deviated, and there is a lack of high-end talents and leaders, especially entrepreneurial talents. Fifth, the R&D investment is large, and the tax burden on enterprises is too heavy. They have been in survival and slow growth for a long time, and it is difficult to enter the stage of rapid growth. Sixth, the public service and supporting capabilities are weak, resulting in most technology and product innovations remaining in the design stage, and even most of them have to passively give up because they cannot find outsourcing processing and supporting facilities or the supporting facilities are unqualified.

4. Suggestions for promoting high-quality development of my country's sensor industry

       As the game between major powers intensifies, sensors will inevitably become another focus of strategic competition. Therefore, it is necessary to plan ahead, make early plans, make a good top-level design for the industrialization of sensors in my country, and increase policy support. Specific suggestions are as follows:

       First, enhance the strategic position, strengthen overall planning, hold a special seminar on the development of the sensor industry at the national level, and clarify the industry's status and priority development content. According to the actual status of industrial development at home and abroad, formulate corresponding "National Sensor Industry Development Guidelines and Related Industry Catalogs". Establish a "National Sensor Innovation Center" or "National Key Laboratory" participated by universities, research institutes, and enterprises in various industries to conduct regular and professional basic research on scientific and technological issues such as sensitive mechanisms and materials, process equipment and devices, system integration and applications, and set up special funds for the industrialization of sensors or industrial development funds to provide long-term industrialization cultivation and policy support.

       Second, in line with the overall national strategy, a "National Sensor Industrial Park" with a clear theme and specialization should be established in economically developed areas or strategic key areas (such as Xiong'an New Area, etc.). In combination with the characteristics of the industry, such as the majority of small and micro enterprises in the sensor field and the establishment of scientific researchers, the park can build an industrial ecological system integrating government, industry, academia, research, application and service, and create industrial clusters and industrial chains with outstanding industrial technology advantages and characteristics, such as the "Sensor Valley" with semiconductor MEMS technology as the main line, eight sensitive technologies as the basis, and supporting applications in multiple industries as the characteristics. In addition, industry associations and industrial alliances should be established to regularly carry out domestic and foreign technical and market information exchanges, expand the international vision and market information channels of enterprises, and build a public service platform led and supervised by local government departments in the public areas of the park, which is responsible for providing enterprises with technology research and development, achievement transformation, third-party testing, standard formulation and services, intellectual property registration, investment and financing guidance and other industrial incubation and cultivation services.

       Third, because sensors belong to a complex and special industry that crosses multiple disciplines, technologies, categories, and fields, it is necessary to carry out comprehensive and long-term training of basic theory, technological innovation, and cross-border integration talents. It is recommended that the education authorities set up sensor technology and application majors in key domestic colleges and universities and determine them as first-level disciplines to strengthen the theoretical foundation and the training of engineering and technical talents, and cultivate various types of high-end talents such as theoretical research, process design, and market-oriented applications for scientific research and industrialization, and form a group of industry-specific professional talents. In addition, while cultivating high-end technical personnel, we should focus on cultivating entrepreneurial talent teams, and cultivate entrepreneurial talent teams with both international vision and market development capabilities for industrial development.

       Fourth, we should increase the efforts to attract talents and create a good employment environment. A large number of high-end talents and product technologies in the sensor field are distributed all over the world, and most talents and enterprises with industrial technologies are looking for value depressions. Therefore, it is imperative to attract technology and talents to land and formulate investment and talent policies that meet the characteristics of the industry and the actual situation of talents. In the investment and talent attraction and support policies, the preferential conditions for leasing or selling production sites should be fully reflected, such as financial support, rent subsidies, free use of factory buildings, tax refunds, etc.; living resettlement should focus on solving housing subsidies, family resettlement, children's schooling and other intimate services; corresponding public supporting service policies should also be implemented in place. It is particularly important to note that all policies should be open and fair, and the implementation should be accurate and in place, without discounts, to eliminate and avoid "empty checks" that are difficult to implement and cash, as well as dishonesty and violations. At the same time, pay attention to exploring and coordinating the market demand for sensor accessories in the region, and use market mechanisms to promote and guide the start-up and development of settled enterprises, so that enterprises can really come in, stand up, and grow fast, and create a good business environment.