Description
This AI Watch report analyses AI uptake in manufacturing. It recognizes that AI can empower a variety of applications in the manufacturing sector and it can impact all stages of production; in particular a major role for AI lies in blending data from different processes, factory floors or production sites to enable holistic optimizations.
However, there is a strong need to access data and, furthermore, the need for quality data. Furthermore, standardization of data formats and of communication protocols will be a fundamental enabler for data sharing. Involving human resources in the AI uptake process is also an essential need in manufacturing, both at the workforce and management level.
The current report shows that AI uptake in manufacturing has accelerated over the last decade, but it is still at its early stage: for instance, In the last five years, the annual VC investment in AI and manufacturing has accounted for up to 15% of the total VC investment in the sector. At EU27 level, we observe that Germany, France, Italy and Spain lead in all the rankings of AI uptake in manufacturing, indicating significant disparities with respect to the level of AI uptake in manufacturing across the EU Member States.
