Pohang City Opens New Horizons in Manufacturing Industry with AI Manufacturing Technology

Selected for Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy AI Autonomous Manufacturing Leading Project... Secured 10 Billion KRW in National Funding

Established Mobile Autonomous Robot Technology Process for AI Automation in Steelmaking

Accelerating Digital Transformation in Manufacturing, Expecting Advanced Production and Enhanced Industrial Competitiveness

Pohang City achieved a great success by securing 10 billion KRW in national funding after being selected in the steel sector competition of the ‘AI Autonomous Manufacturing Leading Project’ led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

On the 28th, the city attended the ‘AI Autonomous Manufacturing Leading Project Agreement Ceremony’ held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul and signed a business agreement with participating companies and institutions to cooperate on AI autonomous manufacturing.

About 300 people attended the event, including Ahn Deok-geun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, major local government heads, representatives from the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, and 153 companies and institutions belonging to the AI Autonomous Manufacturing Alliance, gathering to promote the spread of AI autonomous manufacturing technology and to discover successful models while pledging cooperation.

In the agreement, the parties agreed to ▲ promote and support the AI Autonomous Manufacturing Leading Project ▲ discover and spread successful models ▲ foster regional industries linked to AI autonomous manufacturing ▲ and unite efforts among related organizations to promote and expand AI autonomous manufacturing.

The city was selected in the steel sector of this AI Autonomous Manufacturing Leading Project and secured 10 billion KRW in national funding. In cooperation with local companies and institutions such as POSCO Holdings, Neuromeka, and the Korea Institute of Robot Convergence, a total project cost of 12.5 billion KRW will be invested by 2028 to develop mobile autonomous robot technology for AI autonomy in steelmaking processes and establish an intelligent, high-efficiency ironmaking process.

Vice Mayor Jang Sang-gil emphasized, “As AI technology advances, the era of autonomy beyond process automation will arrive,” adding, “We will contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of regional industries through AI-based innovation in steelmaking processes.”

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy launched the AI Autonomous Manufacturing Alliance last July to dramatically improve productivity, safety, and environmental performance by introducing AI into manufacturing, and plans to discover and promote 200 projects by 2028.

Currently, the adoption rate of AI autonomous manufacturing in manufacturing sites is about 5%, but the goal is to raise it to over 40% by 2030, thereby increasing manufacturing productivity by more than 20% and GDP by over 3%.

To this end, a budget of 10 billion KRW per project will be supported, and a large-scale R&D project worth 300 billion KRW will be planned within this year to develop core technologies necessary for the spread of AI autonomous manufacturing.

Pohang City expects that this project will not only enhance the competitiveness of local companies but also contribute to revitalizing the regional economy through job creation and technological innovation.