Evolutionary Game and Simulation Analysis of Collaborative Innovation Mechanisms of Industrial Internet Platform-Based Ecosystem

Digital platforms are transforming almost every industry today. To gain insight into the innovation mechanism of the industrial Internet platform-based ecosystem, combining its nature of sustainability, this paper investigates strategic factors, such as the intensity of platform governance, the eco-efficiency of cooperation, and the input costs of complementors. A platform ecological system game model comprised of the industrial Internet platform enterprise, industry chain complementors, and innovation chain complementors is then established. The results of game playing and simulation highlight four important facts as revealed by a Chinese COSMOPlat case. First, there are four evolutionary paths for collaborative relations among innovation entities in an ecosystem. Second, platform enterprise may utilize various strategies in the several stages of ecosystem evolution. Third, complementors in the industrial chain and innovation chain have different degrees of dependence on platform enterprise and distinct incentive factors. Finally, investment of platform enterprise in data security drives the construction and upgrading of the ecosystem. In this context, collaborative innovation in platform ecosystems is associated with a self-evolving, self-growing, self-driven, and sustainable cooperation and win–win mechanism. This study provides new ideas for the governance of the industrial Internet platform-based ecosystem.