As the convergence of the automotive industry and AI technology accelerates, Gwangju is emerging as a key hub for the Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) cluster. With AI infrastructure added to a production base where the automotive value chain—from finished vehicles to suppliers—is integrated, the city is garnering attention as a model that will simultaneously drive manufacturing innovation and regional growth.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the 'Gwangju Future Mobility MINI Alliance Meeting' at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju on the 30th.

Officials from automakers, partner companies, AI suppliers, universities, research institutes, and local governments attended the event to discuss plans for establishing the M.AX cluster.

The MINI Alliance is a consultative body formed for each of the 10 AX demonstration industrial complexes to promote the spread of AI transition within industrial complexes.

During the meeting, it was decided to establish a virtuous cycle structure that utilizes process, quality, and logistics data accumulated in the Gwangju Industrial Complex for AI model development, and reapplies the developed models to the field to build new data.

We plan to develop and demonstrate AX models for each process, such as vision inspection, predictive maintenance, and unmanned logistics, centered around leading factories like GGM and Korea Alps, and then expand them to the entire industrial complex.

The Gwangju Research and Development Special Zone Advanced Zone 3 Data Center, which is currently being built using the Industrial Complex Environment Improvement Fund, is scheduled to be utilized as the basis for the data linkage infrastructure.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy plans to foster this data center as a core infrastructure for regional manufacturing innovation, while simultaneously expanding the foundation for the localization of AI infrastructure equipment, thereby enabling the simultaneous growth of manufacturing innovation and the AI infrastructure industry. The plan is to create an ecosystem.

The participants agreed to operate a governance structure that enables continuous cooperation among manufacturing companies, AI suppliers, universities, and research institutions, and to provide customized AX support for tenant companies while simultaneously training on-site personnel.

The plan is to spread the achievements derived in Gwangju to other industrial complexes and the automotive industry as a whole, developing them into a region-led manufacturing innovation model.

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-kwan stated, “In the era of AI voyages, M.AX is not a matter of choice but of survival, and the competitiveness of the automotive industry stems from innovation across the entire value chain,” adding, “If a successful model based on Gwangju’s automotive ecosystem and AI infrastructure spreads, it will become a manufacturing innovation model that drives regional growth in the ‘5 poles and 3 specialties’ sector.”