Korea Backs 48 Projects to Put Practical AI on Factory Floors

The AX Sprint program emphasizes a demand-driven approach, where AI suppliers and institutions select technologies based on manufacturers' process data and operating experience. This structure aims to prevent AI solutions from being developed in isolation, ensuring they address specific, practical needs on factory floors rather than pushing pre-existing AI solutions onto companies. The government focused on reflecting manufacturers' needs from the earliest planning stages to avoid a disconnect between technology development and actual factory demand.

The program covers four key areas: industrial safety, manufacturing processes and production, manufacturing management and operations, and consumer-tailored products and services. This broad scope reflects an effort to integrate AI across various aspects of manufacturing, from detecting physical hazards with vision AI and IoT sensors to optimizing fermentation processes using AI agents, as seen with Hanho Industrial and Daesang.

By supporting on-site verification and commercialization, the initiative seeks to establish sector-specific success models that can then be disseminated across industries. The Korea Federation of SMEs serves as the project management body, and the Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs (TIPA) acts as the implementing agency, supporting the entire process from technology development to diffusion.