POSCO Future M announced that in-house AI projects are moving to production lines, following an AI Festival in Pohang on October 13 that celebrated 28 outstanding AI efforts from the AI 100-Day Challenge.

The AI Festival at POSTECH in Pohang showcased results from the AI 100-Day Challenge, with 28 standout cases recognized in two categories: office/manufacturing efficiency apps and AI-driven internal communications, safety, and training videos.

The winning model is designed to reduce unexpected repairs and production disruptions by enabling proactive maintenance decisions, with on-site tests and feedback before deployment to production sites by mid-2027.

The push comes as competition intensifies in the secondary battery materials market, where AI-driven predictive maintenance and process optimization can lift yield and ensure quality uniformity across global plants.

Targets include a 30% gain in manufacturing productivity and a 50% reduction in product development time by mid-2028, with plans to train at least one AI application expert per department by year-end.

POSCO Future M laid out a companywide data-driven roadmap in July to standardize work processes and drive AI transformation across manufacturing, R&D, and marketing.

Top awards went to the AI-Based MRO Material Integrated Management and Intelligent Procurement System and SEM Data Unmanned Acquisition and Analysis Automation, which streamline procurement and automate SEM image analysis.

The festival promotes an 'AI-native' work system where AI handles planning and execution of improvements, with humans making final judgments and decisions.

POSCO Future M aims to build an 'AI Native' work framework in which AI drives planning and execution while humans provide final judgment.

The grand-prize model, Kiln Heater Condition Prediction Model, analyzes furnace data to predict kiln failures, prioritize inspections, and reduce emergency repairs and production disruptions.

The grand prize prize-winning model forecasts failures in calcination furnace heaters, guiding inspection priorities and reducing disruptions.

The AI Festival is part of POSCO Future M’s broader AI transformation strategy, the AX program, and the Battery of Things Ecosystem Game Changer with a roadmap across manufacturing, R&D, and marketing.