Gyeongsangbuk-do held the '2026 Smart Manufacturing Forum' on Wednesday, September 16 at the POSCO International Center in POSTECH.

Around 200 people attended the event, including Gyeongsangbuk-do Vice Governor for Economic Affairs Yang Geum-hee, Pohang Mayor Park Yong-sun, provincial assembly members, Apple representatives, and domestic and international experts in the field of AI manufacturing innovation.

Hosted by Gyeongsangbuk-do and Pohang City, and organized by POSTECH and the Apple Manufacturing R&D Support Center, the forum is taking place around POSTECH for two days from September 16 to 17 under the theme of "The Future of Manufacturing Led by Physical AI and Robotics."

Marking its 4th anniversary this year, the forum was prepared to help local companies share the latest trends in global manufacturing technology and explore ways to apply them to actual industrial sites amid a rapidly changing manufacturing environment driven by advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics.

At the opening ceremony, UCLA Professor Dennis Hong delivered a keynote speech introducing the development of physical AI and humanoid robots and their potential applications in manufacturing sites. Park Jong-hoon, CEO of Neuromeka, also gave a lecture on the development direction of robot automation technology and its role in manufacturing sites, presenting technical solutions for manufacturing automation and productivity enhancement.

On the second day of the event, the 17th, customized programs for introducing smart manufacturing innovation will be held for local small and medium-sized manufacturing companies at the 'Apple Manufacturing R&D Support Center' inside POSTECH.

The Apple Manufacturing R&D Support Center is a manufacturing-specialized R&D support center established by Apple in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do in 2022 as the world's first of its kind. It provides small and medium-sized manufacturing companies with process analysis equipment rentals, education, and consulting for smart process adoption.

Yang Geum-hee, Vice Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongsangbuk-do, said, "It is more important than ever to connect advanced manufacturing technologies accumulated by global companies with the field experience of small and medium-sized enterprises." She added, "Gyeongsangbuk-do will actively support the AX (AI Transformation) and smart manufacturing innovation of small and medium-sized manufacturing companies by utilizing the region's excellent research and industrial infrastructure, such as POSTECH and the Apple Manufacturing R&D Support Center."

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