POSCO Future M (003670) said on the 14th that it held an "AI Festival" at POSTECH in Pohang on the 13th to share results from the use of artificial intelligence across the company.
The festival capped the "AI 100-Day Challenge," a three-stage program the company ran from June to build employees' AI skills. POSCO Future M selected and honored 28 best cases in two categories: AI application development aimed at improving office and manufacturing work, and AI video production for in-house communications, safety and training.
Building on the event, the company plans to establish an "AI Native" system in which AI handles planning and execution of work improvements while employees make the final judgments and decisions.
The top prize went to a "kiln heater condition forecasting model." In cathode material production, where maintaining a consistent firing temperature is critical, the system has AI automatically collect data such as heater conditions and then calculate failure risk and inspection priorities, reducing repair work and improving production efficiency. The model allows equipment to be inspected and replaced preemptively. A kiln is heat-treatment equipment that processes raw materials at high temperatures to produce materials.
Two entries won the excellence award: an "AI-based integrated MRO materials management and intelligent procurement system" and "unmanned SEM data acquisition and analysis automation." With the procurement system, a search for a material name prompts AI to find related information across multiple systems and recommend available materials and domestically produced alternatives.
The SEM data automation uses AI to automate everything from imaging product particles to analysis and generation of results, cutting simple repetitive work involved in electron microscope imaging and data organization while improving accuracy and efficiency. SEM refers to a scanning electron microscope, which magnifies the fine structure of objects to measure size and shape.
The winning cases will be applied to actual operations by the first half of next year after field testing and the gathering of employee feedback.
In July, POSCO Future M presented a digital innovation vision to build a foundation for medium- to long-term growth and has been pursuing process standardization and a data-centered, company-wide AX, or AI transformation. Through the effort, it plans to raise manufacturing productivity by 30% and cut product development time by 50% as of the first half of 2028.
