South Gyeongsang Province, which has presented "South Gyeongsang as a Global Physical AI Hub" as its new industrial vision, is accelerating manufacturing AX (AI transformation) innovation in the region by fully activating a public-private cooperation system to implement the physical AI transformation of the manufacturing industry.
South Gyeongsang Province held the "Launch Ceremony for the South Gyeongsang Smart Manufacturing AX Public-Private Consultative Body" on Monday at Hotel International in Changwon, together with the South Gyeongsang Regional Office of Small and Medium Business Administration, the South Gyeongsang Regional Headquarters of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, the South Gyeongsang Artificial Intelligence ICT Association, and the Smart Manufacturing Technology Company Council, officially marking the start of a consultative organization for regional manufacturing AX. The body carries significant meaning in that it goes beyond simply establishing a new consultative organization, serving as public-private governance that works with the government to implement "physical AI transformation," the core industrial policy of the 9th popularly elected administration, in the field.
South Gyeongsang Province has adopted "physical AI," in which manufacturing equipment and robots recognize, judge and carry out tasks on their own, as a core strategy for future manufacturing innovation. The province plans to spread a physical AI-based autonomous manufacturing system—in which AI analyzes production site data in real time to optimize processes and predict equipment anomalies—across the region's key industries as a whole.
The consultative body will build a foundation for cooperation among manufacturing companies, smart manufacturing supplier companies and related institutions, creating a full-cycle manufacturing AX ecosystem spanning from demand identification to technology matching, AI demonstration, commercialization and follow-up management. To this end, it plans to jointly pursue strengthening manufacturing companies' capabilities, activating networks, providing smart manufacturing technology education, supporting AI technology demonstration, and planning new projects.
In particular, centered on the consultative body, the province will pursue various linked projects this year, including △preliminary planning for manufacturing companies' software (SW)-AI convergence technology demonstration △a South Gyeongsang-style smart factory establishment support project △industry-specific demand-supply company Meet-Up Days △education on core smart manufacturing technologies. Through these, the province aims to expand regional manufacturing companies' use of AI and enhance the competitiveness of smart manufacturing supplier companies.
"The 9th popularly elected administration of South Gyeongsang Province is pursuing, as a core strategy, becoming a global physical AI hub through a region-led AI transformation," said Park Hwan, head of the province's Artificial Intelligence Industry Division. "Centered on the Smart Manufacturing AX Public-Private Consultative Body, we will strengthen cooperation among manufacturing companies, AI companies and related institutions to support the rapid spread of physical AI to manufacturing sites and its connection to manufacturing innovation."
South Gyeongsang Province plans to open the South Gyeongsang Manufacturing AI Data Center in September together with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, and to build and operate a South Gyeongsang-style physical AI one-stop support platform.
