The United States, China, Germany, and Japan are positioning artificial intelligence (AI) as a key driver in reshaping manufacturing competitiveness, focusing on establishing national industrial AI ecosystems. The U.S. emphasizes AI infrastructure and software, while China leverages its strengths in physical AI. Germany and Japan are combining their existing manufacturing capabilities with supportive policies. South Korea is accelerating the spread of manufacturing AI by capitalizing on its strengths in semiconductors and information and communication technology (ICT) along with rapid field testing.
The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) announced on September 9 that it has released a report titled 'Industrial AI Policies and Trends in Major Manufacturing Countries.' The report indicates that these four countries share common goals of securing high-quality industrial data, developing proprietary AI models, expanding practical applications, and promoting AI adoption among small and medium-sized enterprises and local regions.
The U.S. is building an ecosystem for AI robots and virtual factories, led by Nvidia. Tesla has introduced parallel assembly methods in its vehicle production, while Intel and Caterpillar are utilizing AI for semiconductor yield improvement and predictive maintenance for heavy equipment, respectively.
China is using its vast manufacturing base as a testing ground for practical AI applications. It accounts for over half of global humanoid robot shipments and hosts more than 40% of the World Economic Forum's designated lighthouse factories. The Chinese government aims to cultivate 3 to 5 large AI models specialized in manufacturing and support 1,000 leading companies by 2027 through its 'AI + Manufacturing' policy.
Germany is integrating manufacturing companies like Siemens and Bosch with industrial software capabilities. It is promoting 'Manufacturing-X,' a platform for sharing manufacturing data among companies. BMW and Mercedes-Benz are applying digital twins and humanoid robots in their production facilities. Japan has set a goal to introduce 10 million AI robots by 2040 and plans to invest over 10 trillion yen in AI and semiconductor sectors by 2030.
South Korea's strategy focuses on increasing the speed of field applications based on its memory semiconductor and ICT infrastructure, along with advanced manufacturing facilities. The government is promoting autonomous manufacturing and the spread of industry-specific AI through its 'Manufacturing AI 2030' initiative and the Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) program.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has increased its budget for AI transformation across industries to 1.1347 trillion won this year, a 100.8% increase from the previous year, with a goal of establishing over 500 autonomous manufacturing AI factories by 2030.
To support the overseas expansion of the industrial AI ecosystem, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, KOTRA, and six other organizations will host 'K-Connect AI' for four weeks starting October 13. The event will feature five exhibitions related to AI home appliances, semiconductors, AI factories, manufacturing services, and robotics. An export consultation meeting and company exhibition will also take place on October 21-22, inviting overseas buyers to Kintex.
KOTRA President Kang Kyung-sung stated, "As the competition in industrial AI among major countries accelerates, the entire manufacturing paradigm is changing, presenting opportunities for our companies. We will work to identify collaborative needs and do our utmost to support the overseas expansion of the K-AI ecosystem."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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