Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has launched a groundbreaking fully autonomous smart factory in Beijing’s Changping district, designed to produce 10 million handsets annually. The facility, operational 24/7 without human labor, leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and resolve production issues.
CEO Lei Jun describes the facility as a pinnacle of automation, set to manufacture the upcoming MIX Fold 4 and MIX Flip phones. The 860,000-square-foot factory, an upgrade from Xiaomi’s 2019 smart factory, features 11 production lines equipped with AI technology. This integration enhances production efficiency by optimizing manufacturing processes and resolving issues autonomously.
Although the factory operates without human presence on the production floor, a team monitors operations from the Xiaomi Hyper Intelligent Manufacturing Platform (IMP), referred to as the War Room. The IMP streamlines factory operations, managing everything from raw material procurement to delivery through a full-scenario digital approach.
This trend of automation in manufacturing is part of a broader industry shift. Similar moves have been seen in other sectors, such as Foxconn’s reduction of 60,000 workers in 2016 in favor of machines and Amazon’s increase in autonomous robots in its fulfillment centers, from 350,000 in 2021 to over 750,000 by mid-2023. Xiaomi’s factory represents the latest advancement in this ongoing automation trend.
Xiaomi has unveiled a fully autonomous smart factory in Beijing’s Changping district, designed to produce 10 million handsets annually without human labor. The 860,000-square-foot facility, operational 24/7, uses advanced AI to detect and resolve production issues, marking a significant upgrade from Xiaomi’s 2019 smart factory. CEO Lei Jun highlights the factory’s role in manufacturing the MIX Fold 4 and MIX Flip phones. Although no humans are present on the production floor, operations are monitored via the Xiaomi Hyper Intelligent Manufacturing Platform (IMP), which manages everything from material procurement to delivery. This factory exemplifies the broader industry trend towards automation, aligning with moves by companies like Foxconn and Amazon to enhance efficiency through robotics.
