en.Wedoany.com Reported - At 10:25 AM on April 3rd, inside the Ironmaking Control Center of Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.'s (Baosteel) Baoshan Base, the world's first AI smart blast furnace was officially launched and put into operation. As Hu Wangming, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of China Baowu Steel Group, pressed the start button, molten iron gushed from the taphole of the No. 2 blast furnace, marking the steel industry's entry into a new stage driven by AI, characterized by intelligent efficiency, and green and low-carbon development.
The AI smart blast furnace achievement unveiled by Baosteel represents a core breakthrough in China Baowu's "2526" project. Driven by the dual engines of "Data + AI", this achievement integrates decades of ironmaking expertise with large language models, big data, and cloud computing technologies. It constructs a closed-loop intelligent management and control system encompassing the entire process of perception, decision-making, and execution. It successfully tackles the "black box" control challenges of blast furnaces, realizing a transformation from "experience-driven" to "data-driven" and from "passive response" to "active prediction".
According to the head of Baosteel's ironmaking plant, the AI smart blast furnace technology has been deployed and applied on the No. 4, No. 3, and No. 2 blast furnaces at the Baoshan Base. The core models have achieved prediction accuracy and control adoption rates both exceeding 90%. The precision of furnace heat control and the stability of molten iron quality have significantly improved, while fuel consumption continues to decline. Taking the No. 2 blast furnace as an example, after implementation, the coke rate per ton of iron decreased by 4.2 kg, and the fuel rate dropped by 5.8 kg. A single furnace achieves annual cost savings exceeding 20 million yuan, simultaneously reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 15,000 tons. Soon, this technology will be replicated on the No. 1 blast furnace, currently undergoing major repairs, achieving full coverage across all four blast furnaces at the Baoshan Base, and will be promoted to other steel production bases of Baosteel.
In his speech, Hu Wangming, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of China Baowu, stated that the steel industry is currently in a long-term phase of volume reduction and structural adjustment, and intelligentization is the inevitable path to high-quality development. The world premiere of the smart blast furnace is the result of the digital-real integration between Baosteel, Baosight Software, Huawei, and other partners, and represents a major breakthrough in addressing industry pain points. He expressed hope that, starting with the smart blast furnace, the company will accelerate AI empowerment across all processes, build a Baowu model of "AI + Steel", and provide a template for the global industry's transformation.
Zhang Jianliang, Director of the Metallurgy Department at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, and Shi Mao, President of Huawei's Steel & Non-ferrous Metals Business Unit, stated in their speeches that Baosteel's smart blast furnace represents a fundamental change in ironmaking production methods and is a revolutionary innovation for the industry, setting a benchmark for the digital, intelligent, and green transformation of China's steel industry. Baosteel's General Manager Liu Baojun presided over the launch ceremony, and relevant responsible persons delivered thematic reports, systematically explaining the path for AI-driven transformation across the entire ironmaking process.
The launch ceremony brought together leaders from Baosteel, Baosight Software, Huawei, and relevant departments of the group headquarters, along with employee representatives. Multiple academicians, experts, and media representatives witnessed this historic moment. Public information shows that as a globally leading steel enterprise, Baosteel continuously promotes digital and intelligent transformation. The world premiere of this AI smart blast furnace further solidifies its leading position in the field of industry intelligentization.
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