Abstract At present, the single unit capacity of hydropower unit is increasing, and the problems of difficulty, high precision, large number of labors and high cost in the maintenance process of large unit are becoming increasingly prominent. With the proposal of intelligent construction of hydropower plant, digital maintenance of hydropower unit has become a research hotspot. This article proposes a construction idea for a digitized maintenance system for hydraulic units based on technologies such as RFID, IoT, and artificial intelligence. This system can modularly manage the unit components and realize the integration and interaction of unit maintenance information through the visualization platform. It utilizes IoT sensors to collect comprehensive information on the components involved in the maintenance process. The components’ information is managed in a hierarchical manner using device KKS coding and a hierarchical structure diagram of the hydraulic unit’s equipment components. Through a visualization platform and equipment knowledge base, the component information is processed and analyzed to generate optimal assembly sequences and paths, thus improving the scientific and rational aspects of the unit’s maintenance process. This approach provides theoretical support for maintenance operations and enhances overall work efficiency.