AI and sustainability in advanced manufacturing to take centre stage at Industrial Transformation ASIA-PACIFIC (ITAP) 2024

Industrial Transformation ASIA-PACIFIC (ITAP), will be held at Singapore EXPO from 14 -16 October 2024. Focusing on shaping the future with sustainable manufacturing, ITAP 2024 will spotlight the latest AI integration capabilities that enable diverse manufacturing sectors at various stages of technology adoption to foster business growth while contributing towards global climate goals.

National AI developments to spur AI integration in manufacturing

The Asia Pacific region is leading the smart manufacturing sector, which is expecting to grow at 15.7% CAGR through 2030. This is underscored by the accelerating rollout pace of AI policies that will lead to its greater adoption by manufacturers. Various industries are currently seeing more AI integration. For instance, Rolls-Royce, at their Seletar campus, uses AI for predictive analytics and maintenance of aircraft engines, enhancing reliability and performance while minimizing downtime. At ST Engineering, AI is used in predictive maintenance, enhancing production efficiency, and improving product quality across its various sectors, including aerospace and electronics.

At a national level, Singapore revised national AI strategy (NAIS) with one of the aims to triple the nation's AI workforce to 15,000 by 2029 and plans to invest more than $1 billion (US$743.7 million) over the next five years in AI computing, talent and industry development. Malaysia is propelling ahead with its Malaysia AI Roadmap 2021-2025, having recently launched the Malaysia Artificial Intelligence Consortium (MAIC) and the AI Talent Roadmap for Malaysia 2024–2030 as part of the Malaysia Artificial Intelligence Nexus 2024 (MY AI NEXUS) programme.  

Indonesia projects that AI will make a significant contribution of US$366 billion to its economy in the next decade. Indonesia aims to accelerate the growth of Southeast Asia's largest AI ecosystem with the 2045 Artificial Intelligence National Strategy (Stratnas AI). In Vietnam, the government has approved a national strategy on AI that will enable Vietnam to become a hub for AI innovation and solutions in the Southeast Asian region and globally by 2030. 

Evolving ITAP 2024 to empower companies for smart manufacturing 

Past editions of ITAP have clearly demonstrated and established the importance of Industry 4.0, technology innovation, and the need for digital transformation. While these elements remain as cornerstone for ITAP, the 2024 edition zeroes in on how manufacturing companies can leverage AI technology to advance industry and environmental sustainability, deep-diving into three key trends for better business outcomes:

· Digitalise with Secure Intelligent Operations: Integrating systems, data, and people for seamless processes, improved productivity, and lower costs.

· Align Sustainable Manufacturing Practices: Optimising resources and technologies to balance economic growth with environmental goals.

· Build Antifragile Supply Chains: Leveraging technology for resilient, adaptable, and transparent supply chains.

"We aim to empower manufacturing companies with relevant technologies and knowledge on AI integration so that they can balance environmental stewardship, economic viability and social responsibility, which in turn strengthen their resilience and competitive advantage in the increasingly environmentally-conscious and demanding global market," said Mr Paul Lee, Chief Executive (Markets), Constellar. "ITAP remains the leading platform for industry players to convene, explore opportunities, engage in impactful discourse and collaborate across new domains and emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing to unlock new growth frontiers."