Abstract: As pivotal control nodes in national water infrastructure, sluice-gate dam are fundamental to the evolution of conventional water networks into intelligent water systems. The advancement toward intelligent control of these structures is therefore of critical importance. This paper presents a systematic investigation into the technical architecture and implementation pathways for intelligent sluice-gate dam, based on established definitions of intelligent hydraulic structures. The objective is to establish a closed-loop intelligent dam system characterized by the core functions of proper sensing, realistic analysis, intelligent decision-making, and automatic control. Within this framework, an intelligent sluice-gate dam is defined as a smart hydraulic structure that integrates Internet of Things (IoT), digital twin technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and automatic control systems, centered on ensuring structural safety, thereby enabling comprehensive capabilities in sensing, analysis, decision-making, and control. The study delineates the four essential technical components: the digital and intelligent infrastructure, the fusion-intelligence model, the decision model, and the automatic control system. Furthermore, it elaborates the critical implementation pathway, spanning from monitoring deployment and model construction to optimization decision-making and closed-loop control. Finally, through case study analysis, the paper explores practical approaches for both the intelligent retrofitting of existing dams and the construction of new intelligent dam. The results demonstrate that the proposed intelligent framework significantly enhances the efficiency and precision of gate regulation, offering substantial technical support for the development of robust intelligent water networks.