AI Services to Be Developed for Russia’s Industrial Sectors
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has instructed Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko to work with Industrial Competence Centers, or ICC, on potential AI deployment models for different branches of industry.
The ICC are expected to submit proposals to the Russian government by the end of the year outlining promising AI services for each sector. The directive was announced during the TsIPR-2026 (Digital Industry of Industrial Russia conference) and aligns with the government’s broader push to accelerate adoption of domestic software, reduce reliance on foreign platforms and increase industrial productivity.
In practice, Russia is creating demand for applied AI services, including computer vision, predictive analytics, digital twins, production process optimization, intelligent equipment maintenance and decision-support systems. That is expected to accelerate growth in the domestic IT services market. The effects could also reach ordinary consumers across the country: more efficient manufacturing may lower production costs, making Russian-made goods more affordable while improving service quality.
Industrial AI for Every Sector
Using the existing ICC framework, authorities plan to assemble sector-specific “packages” of AI solutions. According to Mintsifry, the centers bring together more than 500 organizations and operate as consortiums of anchor customers that shape demand for Russian digital products. The initiative also aligns with Russia’s National AI Development Strategy through 2030, one of whose goals is to increase AI readiness in priority industries from 12% to 95%.
The first wave of AI deployment is expected to focus on automated production monitoring, predictive equipment maintenance, logistics and energy optimization, analysis of engineering and process documentation, and intelligent control of production lines. Meanwhile, if Russian standards can be aligned with those used by partner countries, the project could also gain export potential.
From ICC to the AI Development Center
The ICC system was launched in Russia in 2022. The centers were created under a government directive to replace foreign sector-specific digital products and became one of the core mechanisms for industrial software import substitution. In 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin updated the country’s AI development strategy through 2030. During another TsIPR conference that year, Mishustin said Russian software should be used by more than 80% of enterprises by the end of the decade.
By 2025, the first large-scale results from the ICC program had started to emerge. Russia’s Analytical Center under the Government reported that 66 first-wave IT products developed through the ICC initiative had been completed and deployed by more than 500 Russian and foreign companies. That same year, authorities also established a Center for AI Development coordinated by Dmitry Grigorenko. In 2026, the government created a dedicated subcommission on AI development and deployment to coordinate such projects across the economy, the social sector and public administration.
A New Tool for Industrial Efficiency
Russia’s import-substitution drive is now moving into a more advanced phase – deploying AI as a practical tool for industrial efficiency. If the ICC manage to consolidate real sector demand and match it with standardized services, the domestic market could gain scalable industrial AI platforms. At the same time, industrial AI deployment will require high-quality datasets, computing capacity, integration with existing industrial control systems, ERP, MES and PLM platforms, as well as trained personnel.
Government support remains one of the key factors behind the AI rollout across industries. By the end of this year, the ICC are expected to prepare sector-specific lists of AI services, while the Russian government will develop support measures for their practical deployment. Over the medium term, successful projects could become part of a new market for Russian industrial software and AI services, and later evolve into export products for partner countries.
