How Audi Uses Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing

Efficient Production How Audi Uses Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing

2026-02-12 From Thomas Günnel | Translated by AI 3 min Reading Time

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Audi wants to manufacture more efficiently with artificial intelligence. The car manufacturer is using its own cloud platform - and tools from other industries.

With the AI-supported dryer control system, Audi is testing the first application from an IPAI cooperation in series production in the paint shop at the Neckarsulm site.(Image: Audi) — With the AI-supported dryer control system, Audi is testing the first application from an IPAI cooperation in series production in the paint shop at the Neckarsulm site.
(Image: Audi)

Audi puts "Edge Cloud 4 Production", EC4P, into operation in large-scale production. The application combines classic automation technology with the flexibility and computing power of the cloud. This means simpler processes, less hardware required on site and new functions can be introduced more quickly.

An Example: In the vehicle assembly plants of the German facilities, the automaker is increasingly managing worker guidance centrally from the cloud, according to a statement. People on the production line receive information about the cars, such as hints on customizations or country specifications. With the migration of the system to the cloud, Audi reports that it has already saved more than 1,000 industrial PCs.

Virtual PLC Instead of Hardware

In the body construction of the A5 and A6 models in Neckarsulm, Germany, Audi is using the EC4P for the first time in the environment of highly automated production facilities in mass production. Virtual programmable logic controllers (vPLC) are replacing local hardware controls on the production lines. Industrial devices, including around 100 robots, are networked via EC4P and work together with millisecond accuracy.

The so-called "Weld Splatter Detection" (WSD) aims to be integrated into the system by Audi in the future. At the Neckarsulm location, the WSD already detects weld splatters on the underside of a body and marks them with light. In a further expansion phase, a robotic arm has recently taken over the grinding task—eliminating this physically demanding job for the workers on the line. Audi will soon utilize the company-wide first AI-supported weld splatter detection in series at six facilities in Ingolstadt.

AI Monitors Manufacturing Processes

Audi is piloting "ProcessGuardAIn" in Neckarsulm for anomaly detection in the cathodic dip painting process. (Source: Audi) — Audi is piloting "ProcessGuardAIn" in Neckarsulm for anomaly detection in the cathodic dip painting process.
(Source: Audi)

With "ProcessGuardAIn," artificial intelligence monitors manufacturing processes. According to Audi, the application consolidates expert knowledge, equipment, and process data into a standardized, company-wide scalable modular system. Based on machine and sensor data, the tool currently monitors production steps in real time, detects anomalies, and provides notifications.

In the Neckarsulm (Germany) paint shop, Audi is piloting the application in two processes: in dosing optimization during pre-treatment and in anomaly detection during cathodic dip painting. The application is set to go into series production in the second quarter of 2026. In the upcoming development phases, the software is expected to provide data-based recommendations for action and guide employees step by step via an app.

First IPAI Cooperation

At the Neckarsulm site, Audi is testing the first application from an IPAI cooperation in series operation with the AI-supported dryer control. IPAI, the "Innovation Park for Artificial Intelligence," is a research and development campus involving stakeholders from academia, industry, politics, and society. Industry partners include Aleph Alpha, Deutsche Telekom, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and the Würth Group.

By summer 2026, Audi will test how much energy the AI-supported dryer control saves in the paint shop in Neckarsulm, Germany. (Source: Audi) — By summer 2026, Audi will test how much energy the AI-supported dryer control saves in the paint shop in Neckarsulm, Germany.
(Source: Audi)

The underlying AI model in the dryer comes from a different industry. In the test, an AI controls the regulators that manage the temperature and air volume in the longitudinal dryer. The goal is to respond more quickly to the slightest changes in operation—to use as few resources as possible for drying. By summer 2026, Audi aims to test the energy-saving potential of the application. The AI-supported dryer control was developed in collaboration with the "appliedAI initiative" and CVET GmbH.

Ideas from the Production Lab

Audi operates the Production Lab and the P-Data Factory within the company. Here, 60 people develop new technologies—from the initial idea to application in mass production. Additionally, since 2023, the automaker has been a partner in the IPAI in Heilbronn (Germany).

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