Abstract
The Japanese manufacturing industry has long led the world with its high-quality products and advanced technological capabilities. However, in recent years it has been forced to respond to rapid changes in the external environment and intensifying international competitiveness. At the same time, with the development of digitalization and AI technology, a wide variety of AI exists, and under the banner of DX, a wide variety of AI is being applied to manufacturing sites. Nevertheless, it is rare to hear of any major success stories in the manufacturing industry.
In this paper, we describe the most promising AI that can create a differentiating factor for Japanese manufacturers to become internationally competitive, and describe a successful case of autonomous control of a chemical plant using control AI, which won the Prime Minister’s Award, the highest award of the 52nd Japan Industrial Technology Awards sponsored by the Nikkan-Kogyo-Shimbun.
