Gyeongbuk wins support for AI on automotive, textile and chip production lines
South Korea's Gyeongbuk province secured support for five manufacturing AI projects covering automotive parts, textiles and semiconductors. Teams will test models on production lines, automate material handling and combine equipment and quality data. Development extends into 2028 and 2029 under a national programme that brings AI-based robots and advanced equipment into factories.
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Five projects enter a national factory programme
South Korea's Gyeongbuk province secured support for all five proposals it submitted to the Industry Ministry's AI factory programme. The province announced the selection on 21 October. The national programme, operating since 2024, brings AI-based robots and advanced equipment into manufacturing sites. The chosen work covers two automotive projects, one textile project and two semiconductor projects, addressing particular production stages and the information used to manage them.[1], [2]
Automotive and textile teams target production work
Ecoplastic leads an automotive-parts project in Gyeongju, a city in the province. Its total budget is 5.96 billion won and development runs through 2028. The team will build AI models for producing vehicle parts and test them on mass-production lines. Sewon leads the other automotive project in Yeongcheon. That programme has a total budget of 13.11 billion won and runs through 2029, targeting a manufacturing system for tandem press operations.[1], [2]
The textile project is led by ICNIT with Wintex participating. With a total budget of 11.96 billion won, work through 2029 will cover standardising manufacturing data, developing AI models and automating material handling. The proposed work includes both the information flowing through textile production and the movement of materials within the manufacturing process. These are development assignments with future implementation schedules.[1], [2]
Chip projects connect process and equipment data
Wizcore leads a 12.59 billion won project on optical-module curing, the hardening stage in manufacturing those components. LG Innotek and a regional electronics and information technology research institute in Gumi are participants. Work continues through 2029 and aims to automate the production process while identifying equipment problems early. It addresses a specific manufacturing stage within the selected semiconductor work.[1], [2]
INEEJI leads the second semiconductor project, with KEC and the same research institute involved. Its 5.45 billion won development programme is scheduled through 2028. The team plans to use generative AI to combine wafer-manufacturing information across process control, quality, equipment, logistics and supply chains. The five awards establish supported development programmes; the province's announcement gives future work and testing schedules rather than measured productivity gains from completed deployments.[1], [2]
