Making production even more efficient with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and thus supporting local companies is the goal of the AI Production Network in Augsburg. The Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology IGCV, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and the University of Augsburg, which are working together on the project, have been promised 50 million euros from the Free State of Bavaria for this purpose. A further 30 million euros will be used to fund joint research projects.

The focus of Fraunhofer IGCV within the network is on the development of new manufacturing technologies that can make the production process even more efficient with the help of AI. The application of AI methods can significantly increase productivity. The focus is on knowledge and application transfer to companies in the Augsburg, Swabia, and Bavaria regions. »Our goal is to tackle the next major technological leap in production, to realize the extensive potential of AI and to strengthen the competitiveness of companies in the region«, is how Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Drechsler, director of Fraunhofer IGCV, describes the project.

Particularly promising are innovative systems and components in which Fraunhofer IGCV is investing. These include, for example, fiber placement, pultrusion, and additive manufacturing, as well as the digitization and networking of existing production lines. New fields of application for manufacturing technologies, for example in the area of innovative, resource-efficient mobility, can also be opened up through investments. Martin Schreiber, research associate and responsible for planning at Fraunhofer IGCV explains, »With the investments, we are creating the basis for generating and storing process, status, quality and product data for consistent and successful use of AI.« The investments have been sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy as well as by the European Union.

In order to bundle competences  and promote knowledge transfer, a wide range of collaborative research projects is planned with industry partners as well as the University of Augsburg, DLR, and Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. The focus is on companies in the region, which will be supported by the AI production network in Augsburg: The facilities and components represent the latest and most application-oriented AI research that can be offered to local companies.