Taiwan Improves Manufacturing with AI

Some good details here about what is going on in Taiwan, notably integration with big data and AI capabilities.

From plastic toys to Industry 4.0: How Taiwan is using science to upgrade its manufacturing
The island is turning to smart machinery and artificial intelligence to improve the quality and flexibility of the products it makes.

Animation showing production line of robotic arms producing electronics  ...  Image  Credit: Geoffroy de Crécy

In 2016, industrial engineer Chen-Fu Chien was asked to lead a university research centre in Taiwan that would develop new manufacturing technologies using artificial intelligence (AI).

Rather than aiming to publish academic papers, his brief was to produce ideas that could be quickly transferred into industrial settings, says Chien. His research at the National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Hsinchu City uses big-data analytics to make machines smarter through AI that lets them take decisions without human control. It is one of several approaches to creating ‘smart factories’ that use an interconnected, digital network of supply systems — part of Taiwan’s push to improve the flexibility, quality and efficiency of its manufacturing.  .... "