China accounts for nearly half of new lighthouses in 2023, according to WEF report

Amid the fourth industrial revolution and the emerging AI applications around the globe, manufacturers are rapidly adopting AI, sensors, and communications technologies to build their factories to improve productivity, yields, and costs.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), as of December 2023, the world has added 21 new lighthouses where manufacturers or service providers use advanced ICT technologies across their facilities. Among the new entrants are Haier's Hefei facility, Ingrasys's facility in Taoyuan, CATL's facility in Liyang, and GAC AION New Energy's facility in Guangzhou. There are 153 lighthouses worldwide, and China, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa accounted for the majority. By Industry, 83 of the 153 lighthouses are engaged in advanced industries, and most are factories for manufacturers.

According to the World Economic Forum, lighthouses are manufacturers showing leadership in applying the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies at scale to drive step-change financial, operational, and sustainability improvements by transforming factories, value chains, and business models.

Notably, many new lighthouses introduced AI technologies in their facilities to massively improve their productivity. The Security Times China quoted WEF saying that AI and machine learning gave rise to a production revolution on a global scale, and lighthouses are eager to adopt AI technologies, such as Foxconn Industrial Internet (FII).

Lin Shangyi, head of the Nanqing lighthouse project of FII, told the Security Times China that by introducing AI to assist in demand forecasting, the facility has significantly improved its accuracy in demand prediction, greatly enhancing its on-time delivery capabilities.

Source: WEF, December 2023