AT&T Business, Samsung Austin Semiconductor and Samsung Electronics America are unveiling the first manufacturing-focused 5G Innovation Zone in America. Announced last year, today marks the unveiling of 5G use cases we’re researching in the Innovation Zone, with applications designed to improve efficiency, safety, security and operational performance within the manufacturing industry.

The 5G Innovation Zone is located in Samsung Austin Semiconductor, one of the most advanced semiconductor fabrication facilities in the world. The new research space is designed for AT&T and Samsung to explore ideas and technology over 5G networks for improving manufacturing environments and creating smarter factories.

As would be expected in a smart factory, the Innovation Zone is designed to leverage a combination of multiple connectivity technologies, including 5G, LTE, and Wi-Fi. We anticipate the technologies will evolve as additional 5G devices become available.  

The key benefits of 5G include capacity, throughput and latency improvements at levels that were previously only available via wired technology. Like most manufacturing facilities, Samsung Austin Semiconductor collects data from thousands of machines. Adding 5G into the mix can enable manufacturers to enhance the scale and volume of data collection, improve process flexibility by eliminating wires and improve the ability to process data in near real time. Increased bandwidth and reduced latency would be a gamechanger in improving efficiency and performance on the production floor and predicting issues before they happen.  Safety also gets a boost as 5G’s lower latency could enable critical data to get to emergency respondents without lag or delay.

“The 5G Innovation Zone showcases the power of 5G technology to unlock greater efficiencies and higher performance in the manufacturing industry,” said Mark Louison, senior vice president and general manager, Networks Division, Samsung Electronics America.  “These use cases will help us determine how 5G can bring high impact innovations to manufacturing and help pave the way for the smart factories of the future.”