Narrator: Zhu Hailong, Head of TSN Technology Team, Purple Mountain Laboratories, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province

"Test it again! We have to keep the latency jitter within 1 microsecond!" said an engineer from the Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) R&D team, staring at the fluctuating data on the screen.

Traditional industrial networks are plagued by unstable latency and poor compatibility among heterogeneous devices, leaving real-time control demands in sectors such as smart grids and rail transit simply out of reach. Tightly controlled foreign technologies compound the problem, driving equipment costs prohibitively high. As a strategic technology innovation platform focused on building future networks, we assembled a specialized team to tackle these pain points.

The path was fraught with challenges: the scheduling algorithms for TSN controllers were extremely complex, with no ready or universal solutions; the lack of protocol uniformity across different manufacturers' devices led to repeated compatibility test failures; and lab results often failed to align with industry demands, making real-world deployment difficult.

To overcome these obstacles, our researchers immersed themselves in the lab, repeatedly refining algorithms and building test platforms that simulated industrial scenarios, conducting over 1,000 rounds of tests. They pioneered a new software-based unified control and distribution model to optimize configuration management and mastered core technologies such as multi-node, high-volume dynamic scheduling. The result was the first controller in China to pass TSN industry chain directory testing, achieving nanosecond-level synchronization and microsecond-level jitter control, thereby breaking the long-standing foreign monopoly.

Technological breakthrough was just the first step. The ultimate goal was commercializing these achievements. We pioneered a collaborative model incorporating labs, enterprises and capital, building joint testbeds with companies and deeply integrating TSN technology with industrial scenarios to develop commercial products such as TSN switches and gateways.

Institutional and mechanism innovation safeguards the commercialization of technological achievements. The lab introduced a chief scientist responsibility system, giving the research team full autonomy. We also introduced incentive policies for the commercialization of achievements, allowing the research team to retain 90 percent of net profits from commercialization to stimulate innovation vitality. Additionally, by establishing the Purple Mountain Venture Capital Fund and incubating industrial companies, we unlocked the entire chain from technology development to pilot-scale validation and industrial implementation, enabling more achievements to move from the lab to the production line.

From technological breakthroughs to deep industrial cultivation, and from institutional innovation to enabling development, the journey of the commercialization of TSN achievements is a vivid microcosm of Jiangsu Province's readiness to take on major responsibilities.

Today, TSN technology from the lab has been widely applied in fields such as intelligent manufacturing, rail transit and smart vehicles, driving coordinated development across upstream and downstream industrial chains. Looking ahead, we will continue to drive industrial upgrading through technological innovation and stimulate growth through institutional innovation, contributing more of Purple Mountain Laboratories' momentum to building China into a cyber powerhouse.