Scaling innovation in manufacturing with AI

AI integration modernizes factory operations and enables manufacturers to achieve greater business results. Manufacturing is getting a major system upgrade. As AI amplifies existing technologies--like digital twins, the cloud, edge computing, and the industrial internet of things (IIoT)--it is enabling factory operations teams to shift from reactive, isolated problem-solving to proactive, systemwide optimization. Digital twins--physically accurate virtual representations of a piece of equipment, a production line, a process, or even an entire factory--allow workers to test, optimize, and contextualize complex, real-world environments. Manufacturers are using digital twins to simulate factory environments with pinpoint detail. "AI-powered digital twins mark a major evolution in the future of manufacturing, enabling real-time visualization of the entire production line, not just individual machines," says Indranil Sircar, global chief technology officer for the manufacturing and mobility industry at Microsoft.