The coupling of and coordination between science and technology innovation (STI) and sustainable development (SD) is a basic requirement for Anhui Province’s economic high-quality development. According to panel data of 16 prefecture-level cities in Anhui Province from 2010 to 2021, the entropy method was applied to quantify the comprehensive development level of the two systems. The models of coupling coordination degree, grey GM (1, 1), and ARIMA prediction were constructed to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamic evolution features of the two systems’ coupling coordination. In the time series, the two systems’ comprehensive development showed a steady increase, a high level of coupling, and an increasing overall trend of coupling coordination. Moreover, the two systems’ coupling and coordination levels show the gradient spatial differentiation characteristics of “central > east > west.” The prediction shows that the two systems’ coupling coordination degree exhibits a monotonic increasing trend and reaches the optimal coupling coordination state around 2030. This study provides a decision-making reference for the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy of Anhui Province.

High-energy-consuming industries (HECI) are the main sectors of energy consumption and carbon emissions. Technological innovation (TI) driving the energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER) of HECI is critical to achieving carbon neutrality. Using a system theory perspective, this study decomposed the system of ECER of HECI driven by TI into two stages, TI and ECER. Based on panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2015-2020, the network weighted stochastic block model (WSBM) and panel Tobit models were used to measure the efficiency of ECER of HECI driven by TI; the spatial and temporal differences and influencing factors were analyzed. The overall efficiency exhibited a V-shaped pattern of falling, then rising. From a regional perspective, the Northeast region shows a breakthrough growth from a low point to a high point. The East, Central and West regions show similar trends to the national overall, with the total efficiency of the East slightly higher than the West and a lower total efficiency in the Central region. In terms of two-stage efficiency, the efficiency of the ECER stage was higher than that of the TI stage. The rationalization level of industrial structure, green finance development level, and investment in education were the main forces enabling TI to drive the efficiency improvement of ECER in HECI.