Audi is intensifying the use of artificial intelligence across its production and logistics operations, advancing its transformation toward fully connected smart factories. The premium automaker is scaling its proprietary cloud platform for production while introducing new AI-driven applications designed to enhance efficiency, quality and employee support in large-scale series manufacturing.

“At Audi, artificial intelligence is a quantum leap for efficiency in production,” said Gerd Walker, Member of the Board of Management for Production and Logistics. “We are transforming our plants into smart factories where AI acts as a partner, supporting employees with tailored assistance, while robots and chatbots take over physically demanding and repetitive tasks.”

At the core of Audi’s digital manufacturing strategy is the Edge Cloud 4 Production (EC4P), now being rolled out across its production environment. The platform integrates conventional automation technology with cloud computing, enabling centralised control, faster deployment of new functions and reduced on-site hardware. At Audi’s German assembly plants, EC4P has already eliminated the need for more than 1,000 industrial PCs by centrally managing worker guidance systems in real time.

In Neckarsulm, Germany, EC4P is now operating in a highly automated body shop for the A5 and A6 series, where virtual programmable logic controllers replace local hardware and coordinate around 100 robots with millisecond precision. The system enables the production of several hundred vehicle bodies per day across three shifts.

AI applications are also enhancing quality and ergonomics. Audi’s Weld Splatter Detection system identifies and removes weld splatter using AI vision and robotic grinding, reducing physical strain on workers. Meanwhile, the in-house ProcessGuardAIn platform monitors manufacturing processes in real time, detects anomalies early and supports predictive maintenance and quality assurance.

Developed on Audi’s cross-plant “P-Data Engine” platform, ProcessGuardAI is currently in pilot use at the Neckarsulm paint shop, with series production planned for 2026.

By combining decades of manufacturing expertise with cloud and AI technologies, Audi aims to establish a new benchmark for intelligent, resilient and efficient automotive production.