In the United States, the concept of 'Industry 4.0' has largely been replaced by 'Industrial Internet'. Despite the different terminology, the fundamental idea of these two concepts is consistent: connecting virtual networks with physical entities to form a more efficient production system.

From a policy perspective, the U.S. government has elevated the development of advanced manufacturing to a national strategy after the financial crisis, hoping to reshape the manufacturing industry with a new revolutionary production method. From an industry perspective, the establishment of the Industrial Internet Consortium has sounded the horn for enterprises to enter the era of Industry 4.0. Unlike Germany's emphasis on 'hard' manufacturing, the U.S., with its developed software and internet economy, focuses more on promoting a new round of industrial revolution in 'soft' services, hoping to activate traditional industries through the internet and maintain long-term competitiveness in manufacturing.

Government strategy promotes innovation

To respond to the new technological industrial revolution and compete for international industrial discourse power, the U.S. has prioritized revitalizing manufacturing as its strategic goal in recent years. After the financial crisis, the U.S. government introduced a series of bills aimed at establishing manufacturing innovation research centers, hoping to transform traditional manufacturing with high-tech and push the U.S. economy back onto a path of sustainable growth.

In April 2009, newly inaugurated President Obama delivered a speech proposing to revitalize manufacturing as a major strategy for the long-term development of the U.S. economy. In December of that year, the U.S. government issued the 'Framework for Revitalizing American Manufacturing', which detailed the theoretical basis and advantages of revitalizing manufacturing, becoming a strategic guide for U.S. manufacturing development. Subsequently, the Obama administration gradually laid out strategic plans, development paths, and specific measures to complete the deployment of manufacturing innovation programs.

In June 2011, the U.S. officially launched the 'Advanced Manufacturing Partnership', aimed at accelerating its position in advanced manufacturing in the 21st century. In February 2012, it further introduced the 'National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing', encouraging manufacturing companies to return to U.S. soil through proactive policies. The aforementioned plans include two main lines: one is to adjust and enhance the structure and competitiveness of traditional manufacturing; the other is to develop high-tech industries, proposing advancements in areas such as advanced production technology platforms, advanced manufacturing processes, and design and data infrastructure.

In March 2012, Obama first proposed building a 'National Network for Manufacturing Innovation', establishing up to 45 research centers to strengthen organic integration between higher education institutions and manufacturing enterprises. In January 2013, the President's Office, National Science and Technology Council, and National Advanced Manufacturing Project Office jointly released the 'Preliminary Design for National Network for Manufacturing Innovation', investing $1 billion to establish the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) in the U.S., focusing on promoting innovative development in advanced manufacturing such as digital manufacturing, new energy, and new material applications, creating clusters with advanced manufacturing capabilities.

The key research areas of this innovation network include: developing lightweight materials such as carbon fiber composites to improve fuel efficiency, performance, and corrosion resistance of next-generation vehicles like cars, airplanes, trains, and ships; perfecting standards, materials, and equipment related to 3D printing technology to achieve low-cost small-batch production using digital design; creating frameworks and methods for smart manufacturing that allow production operators to grasp real-time 'big data streams' from fully digital factories to improve production efficiency, optimize supply chains, and enhance energy, water, and material usage efficiency.

In the past two years, these plans have gradually unfolded. In August 2012, the U.S. government and private sector jointly funded $85 million to establish the 'National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute'. In May 2013, the U.S. government announced $200 million in federal funding to establish three manufacturing innovation centers: 'Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Innovation Institute', 'Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute', and 'Next Generation Power Electronics Manufacturing Institute'. In February this year, a composite materials manufacturing center was also established.

According to a report released by the Wilson Center think tank titled 'Global Trends in Advanced Manufacturing', U.S. R&D investment ranks first in the world, with three-quarters directed towards manufacturing sectors where it has significant advantages in fields such as synthetic biology, advanced materials, and rapid prototyping manufacturing. Analysts believe that with strong support from both government and private sectors, there is a high likelihood that a new wave of technological innovation characterized by comprehensive wireless network coverage, extensive use of cloud computing, and large-scale development of smart manufacturing will emerge in America.

Industry alliances break down technical barriers

Unlike Germany's emphasis on 'hard' manufacturing in Industry 4.0, America focuses more on promoting a new round of industrial revolution in 'soft' services through its developed software and internet economy. It can be said that America's version of Industry 4.0 is essentially an 'Industrial Internet' revolution. In this process, besides policy support from the U.S. government, the early formation of industry alliances has become an important driving force for development.

'Industrial Internet' was first proposed by General Electric in 2012. Subsequently, five leading industry companies in America joined forces to establish the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) to vigorously promote this concept. In addition to manufacturing giants like General Electric, IT companies such as IBM, Cisco, Intel, and AT&T also joined this alliance.

The Industrial Internet Consortium adopts an open membership system dedicated to developing a 'universal blueprint' that allows data sharing between various manufacturers' devices. The standards of this blueprint not only involve Internet network protocols but also include indicators such as data storage capacity in IT systems, power levels for interconnected and non-interconnected devices, data flow control metrics etc. The goal is to break down technical barriers by establishing universal standards that utilize internet technology to activate traditional industrial processes better facilitate integration between physical and digital worlds.

Although establishing and finally approving these standards may take several years, once these standards are established they will help hardware and software developers create products fully compatible with IoT (Internet of Things). The ultimate result may be achieving comprehensive integration among sensors, networks, computers, cloud computing systems, large enterprises, vehicles and hundreds of other types of entities which will drive overall efficiency improvements across entire industrial supply chains.