This paper takes Ashare manufacturing enterprises in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2010 to 2023 as the research sample, and explores the impact of digital intelligence application on the key core technology innovation The study finds that the digital intelligence application significantly promotes enterprises’ key core technology innovation, which is realized by optimizing the structure of human capital, enhancing knowledge absorption capacity, and fostering collaboration in basic research In the process through which digital intelligence application facilitates key core technology innovation, supply chain efficiency has positive moderating effects, and financing constraints and market competition intensity have negative moderating effects The promoting effect of digital intelligence application exhibits heterogeneity across regions, industry technological attributes and regulatory characteristics, as well as enterprise ownership types and scales The findings provide theoretical support and empirical evidence for advancing enterprises’ digital intelligence development and strengthening key core technology innovation