Its number of invention patents per 10,000 people was 29.65 in 2021, 4.3 times that of 2012. It also had 3,028 high-tech companies in 2021, 7.8 times the number in 2012.

Its traditional pillar industries have been upgraded. Investment in the petrochemical sector has exceeded 240 billion yuan in recent years.

Industrial investment in equipment manufacturing was nearly 200 billion yuan. The city has seen the operation of a number of milestone projects in the areas of shipbuilding, smart manufacturing, nuclear power equipment and railway equipment. In 2017, a domestically made aircraft carrier was launched in Dalian.