The sustainability of industrial robot growth is a key driver for China to build a manufacturing powerhouse and advance the intelligent and high-end transformation of its manufacturing sector. Based on a sample of A-share listed manufacturing companies in China from 2008 to 2023, this study finds that the development of network infrastructure has significantly boosted the adoption of industrial robots among manufacturing enterprises. Three mechanisms facilitate this empowerment: the input effect of data elements, the connectivity effect of the Industrial Internet, and the driving effect of intelligent technologies. Furthermore, the marginal effect of network infrastructure development on industrial robot adoption exhibits a dynamic trend of initially increasing and subsequently decreasing. The impact of network infrastructure development is particularly pronounced for enterprises characterized by high capital intensity, large asset scales, non-state ownership, and advanced technological capabilities. This study provides a valuable theoretical basis and academic reference for further improving network infrastructure and promoting the sustainable development of industrial robot applications in Chinese manufacturing enterprises.
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Ge et al. (2026) studied this question.
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