As a core member of the stainless steel family, austenitic stainless steel accounts for 70% of global stainless steel production, establishing itself as a pivotal material underpinning industrial manufacturing and everyday life. From kitchenware to deep-sea equipment, and from the food industry to new energy storage and transportation, this steel—based on a face-centred cubic crystal structure—continues to expand its application boundaries through technological iteration.The core advantage of austenitic stainless steel stems from its unique composition design and process control. Its classic ‘18-8 type’ formulation contains approximately 18% chromium and 8%–25% nickel, with carbon, molybdenum, titanium and other elements fine-tuning properties. Following solution treatment at 1050–1150°C, it forms a single-phase austenitic microstructure, combining excellent corrosion resistance, non-magnetic properties and good ductility. By composition, it is categorised into two main series: chromium-nickel and chromium-manganese. The former, represented by grades such as S304 and S316, targets high-end corrosion-resistant applications. The latter achieves cost optimisation in structural components by substituting part of the nickel with manganese and nitrogen, exemplified by 12Cr18Mn9Ni5N, widely used in pipeline manufacturing.Technological innovation continues to revitalise austenitic stainless steel. North Heavy Industries Group recently overcame atmospheric pressure melting constraints, developing high-nitrogen, non-magnetic austenitic stainless steel exceeding 0.85% nitrogen content. Substituting nitrogen for nickel not only reduces raw material costs but doubles material strength and corrosion resistance, enabling tolerance of complex environments like seawater and filling a domestic technological gap. Super austenitic stainless steels like Sandvik N08935, by increasing chromium and molybdenum content, demonstrate exceptionally long service life in extreme scenarios such as seawater desalination and chemical corrosion protection. The Persian Gulf oil fields utilised 408 tonnes of 254SMO steel to construct corrosion-resistant pipelines.Its application landscape has permeated all critical sectors of the national economy. In consumer goods, S304 stainless steel is the preferred material for thermos flasks and cookware, while S316, owing to its acid and alkali resistance, serves as the core material for medical implants. Within industrial settings, ultra-low-carbon grades like 022Cr19Ni10N are employed in petrochemical reactors, and niobium-stabilised steel supports heat exchangers in thermal power plants. The new energy sector has become a primary battleground for innovation, with Jiuquan Steel's S31603 (JLH) steel reliably operating in liquid hydrogen storage tanks at -269°C, while high-nitrogen steel provides safety assurance for high-pressure hydrogen storage vessels.From the 1929 patent of low-carbon 18-8 steel to the current mass production of atmospheric-pressure high-nitrogen steel, the century-long evolution of austenitic stainless steel epitomises the advancement of the materials industry. As China advances its dual carbon goals, this material—combining performance advantages with green potential—will play an increasingly vital role in high-end sectors such as deep-sea equipment and hydrogen storage/transportation, laying a robust materials foundation for building a manufacturing powerhouse.