Deep-sea technology was written into the Government Work Report for the first time in 2025. During the 2026 Two Sessions, Hu Zhen, chief designer of the **Deep Sea Warrior** submersible, together with business representatives, unanimously focused on the same issue: while technologies have advanced to the 10,000-meter abyssal zone, the industry is stuck at the "last mile".
This is not the opening of a science fiction novel, but an ongoing industrial reality. As the **Striver** submersible completed seabed landing at 10,909 meters, and the Deep Sea Warrior recovered Ming Dynasty cultural relics dating back 500 years from 1,500 meters deep sea with a 95% domestic localization rate, China's deep-sea technology has ranked among the world's top tier. Behind the booming progress lies a stark contrast: on one hand, capital markets are eagerly anticipating a 40 billion-yuan market scale of underwater robots by 2027; on the other hand, there is the awkward reality of insufficient momentum for engineering application promotion and remaining bottlenecks in core technologies.
The real opportunity does not lie in record-breaking deep submergence itself, but in bridging the **valley of death** between laboratory prototypes and commercialized products. This paper analyzes the actual landscape of the deep-sea industry breakthrough from four dimensions: extreme challenges of equipment independence, scenario-driven growth of unmanned systems, hidden champions of core components, and restructuring of pilot verification systems, and attempts to answer: where should capital and entrepreneurs go?
## Eye of the Storm: From "Being Able to Dive Down" to "Being Affordable to Use"
The deep sea is never a gentle haven. 450 atmospheres of pressure, icy temperatures of 0–4°C, hydrothermal vents above 200°C, and pitch-black darkness with zero visibility — this is the extreme battlefield Hu Zhen, chief designer of the Deep Sea Warrior, faces every day. Titanium alloy materials, ultra-high pressure seawater pumps, and buoyancy materials were all once bottlenecks subject to foreign control.
The real turning point came after the domestic localization rate exceeded 95%. As the industrial chain was activated and costs declined, commercialization became feasible. Over the past few years, the investment logic of deep-sea technology has quietly shifted: from state-led breakthroughs in individual major national equipment to market-driven systematic deployment of infrastructure.
In March 2026, China's independently developed new-generation multi-functional deepwater marine engineering vessel was launched in Qidong, Jiangsu. This massive vessel, 126 meters long, equipped with a 400-ton offshore crane and a pre-installed 3,000-ton cable reel, covers offshore and abyssal waters for maximum operation depth. Its core capabilities support 300-meter offshore engineering and 1,000-meter deep-sea auxiliary operations, with unrestricted navigation across global seas. Its launch sends a clear signal: deep-sea development is transforming from "exploration" to "infrastructure construction". Only when equipment can be standardized and mass-produced for marine deployment like construction machinery can the industrial scale truly expand.
## Unmanned Operation: The 40 Billion-Yuan Ambition of Underwater Robots
"Deep-sea unmanned systems are the core support for building a maritime power." The statement by Jiao Qisen, deputy to the National People's Congress and chairman of China Jing'an Co., Ltd., points to a booming track.
Data speaks volumes: Jiao Qisen disclosed that China's underwater robot market scale exceeded 10 billion yuan in 2024, and the industry forecasts it will reach 40 billion yuan by 2027. The fourfold growth in three years is driven by three factors:
- **Stock replacement**: Manned deep submergence is costly and high-risk, so unmanned systems have become the preferred choice for routine operations.
- **Scenario expansion**: Rapid penetration from early scientific research and military applications to offshore wind power maintenance, submarine cable inspection, deep-sea mining exploration, underwater cleaning, and fishery breeding.
- **Technological compound growth**: Spillovers in AI, battery and communication technologies have advanced underwater robots from remote operation to autonomous operation.
Capital has the sharpest sense of smell. In March 2026, Dongtu Technology invested 13 million yuan in Jiaxing Yubo Fund, whose sole target is Shihang Intelligence, a firm specializing in general marine robots. Founded less than three years ago, the company's product portfolio covers marine robots (Orca & OceanX series), surface robots (Tiger Shark series) and core components (Pangu thruster series), directly entering commercial scenarios including ship cleaning, offshore photovoltaic power and offshore wind power.
This is a typical dual-driven model of "technology + scenario". Dongtu Technology pursues not merely financial returns, but strategic positioning by integrating its robotic electronic architecture technology into underwater intelligent equipment. When the "brain" of industrial internet is installed into the "body" of deep-sea robots, the resulting synergy may exceed expectations.
## Hidden Champions: Deep-Sea Breakthrough of Connectors and Bearings
The harsh reality of the deep-sea industry is: complete machines can be integrated, but components must withstand extreme pressures. At 10,000 meters deep, failure of any sealing ring means the loss of tens of millions of yuan worth of equipment.
The deep-sea connector project of AVIC Optoelectronics won the 2025 Henan Provincial Science and Technology Progress First Prize, achieving full-ocean-depth breakthrough in core technologies. Having specialized in connectors for years, the company has conquered three major technical systems: high-reliability sealing under extreme deep-sea pressure, high-precision plug-in connection, and long-term anti-biofouling performance, realizing underwater plug-and-play and high-reliability full-ocean-depth connection. Though seemingly mundane, insiders understand its difficulty: under 110 MPa pressure, seawater seeps through micron-level gaps and corrodes circuits; biofouling gradually wraps equipment like stalactites, increasing weight and blocking joints. AVIC Optoelectronics' breakthrough marks that China's deep-sea equipment has obtained genuine "nerve endings" for the first time.
A similar story applies to Shenke Co., Ltd. In March 2026, Shanghai Shenchuang Deep-Sea Wind Power Technology Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the bearing manufacturer Shenke, was established, engaging in marine engineering equipment manufacturing, wind turbines and gear transmission components. Though appearing diversified, it represents in-depth cultivation: floating deep-sea wind power platforms impose far higher corrosion and fatigue resistance requirements on bearings than terrestrial ones. Shenke's layout targets the trillion-yuan blue ocean of floating wind power in the next decade.
Hengtong Optic-Electric made a major move in Hainan. Hengtong Huahai Deep-Sea Technology Co., Ltd., with a registered capital of 50 million yuan, focuses on key marine engineering supporting systems, ocean energy systems & equipment, and optical communication devices. Submarine optical cables are the "global veins" of the digital age. Hengtong's logic is clear: the next stage of deep-sea communication lies not only in connecting continents, but also offshore wind farms, marine observation networks and underwater data centers.
## Variable Factor: Pilot Verification — The Make-or-Break Move to Unblock the Last Mile
Technological breakthroughs abound, yet industrial implementation remains sluggish. What is the root cause? In his proposal to this year's Two Sessions, Hu Zhen offered his solution: China lacks a complete deep-sea pilot test and verification system.
Pilot testing refers to intermediate industrial trials. Prototypes performing well in laboratories often fail completely under real sea conditions. Pressure at 300 meters depth, impacts of internal waves and currents, and long-term seawater corrosion effects cannot be simulated in labs — real offshore test sites must be built.
"To convince the market of technologies, visible and credible verification must be provided." Hu Zhen's words reveal the biggest pain point of current industrialization. Investors are not unwilling to invest, but fear funded products will break down after six months at sea; users are not unwilling to adopt, but dare not assign core tasks to "new technologies" without massive data verification.
Constructing a deep-sea pilot test site system covering test equipment, standards and application scenarios is not only a technical issue, but also institutional supply. The "negative list + nationwide unified processing" mechanism and international mutual recognition of airworthiness certification standards for civilian equipment proposed by Deputy Jiao Qisen are also key solutions to remove bottlenecks.
Local governments have already taken action. Fujian launched the 2026 Key R&D Program for Marine and Fisheries, covering 12 research directions across 5 categories with a maximum subsidy of 8 million yuan, explicitly requiring industry-university-research integration and substantive technological breakthroughs. Shenzhen held signing ceremonies for demonstration projects of innovative marine economic development, with 22 projects focusing on offshore communication, underwater robots and new energy vessels to drive the implementation of targeted niche scenarios.
## Action Roadmap: Where Are Opportunities and How to Seize Them?
Marine Economic Society holds that conclusions for entrepreneurs, investors and industry executives are becoming clear:
1. Unmanned systems represent the largest track, yet scenario positioning is mandatory. The 40-billion-yuan market is real, but general underwater robots have become a red ocean. Real opportunities lie in vertical scenarios: offshore wind turbine foundation cleaning, damage detection of deep-sea aquaculture nets, oil leakage inspection of submarine pipelines, and autonomous collection of scientific research samples. Securing a specific scenario and optimizing products to the extreme matters most.
2. Core components are "underwater chips" with high barriers and gross profit margins. Connectors, seals, buoyancy materials and anti-corrosion coatings are often overlooked, yet they are the lifeblood of deep-sea equipment. AVIC Optoelectronics' case proves that leading positions in this sector deliver decade-long technological dividends. From an investment perspective, breakthroughs in materials science are more worthy of attention than complete machine assembly.
3. Pilot verification is infrastructure as well as a business model. The first party to build a credible deep-sea pilot platform gains discourse power over industry standards. It requires joint efforts of government guidance, corporate investment and scientific research support. For powerful industrial players, participating in pilot base construction is not only social responsibility, but also strategic positioning.
4. Policy dividends are shifting from "subsidizing R&D" to "promoting applications". Fujian's 8-million-yuan subsidy, Shenzhen's scenario implementation agreements, and deputies' calls for streamlined approval mechanisms all send the same signal: the country no longer settles for laboratory papers and prototypes, but demands practical products that can operate at sea, generate profits and be exported. Enterprises must align their application and financing strategies with this trend.
When the Deep Sea Warrior retrieved porcelain artifacts from a Ming Dynasty sunken ship 1,500 meters underwater, traces of 500 years of seawater erosion remained distinct. Five centuries later, as the Striver dives into the 10,000-meter abyss and underwater robots advance toward the 40-billion-yuan blue ocean, we are writing not merely corporate financial reports, but a national maritime narrative.
The breakout of the deep-sea industry is not tomorrow, but today. The protagonists of this wave will no longer be explorers waving national flags, but engineers and entrepreneurs who endure hardships, tackle tough technologies, and quietly unblock the "last mile" in the dark depths unseen by the world.
