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SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — FutureMain, a South Korea–based industrial AI and asset transformation (AX) company specializing in predictive maintenance, announced that it is actively conducting phased field validation research on AI-powered self-diagnostic technologies for high-failure-rate industrial equipment as part of a government-funded national R&D program led by the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT).
The project, titled “Development and Demonstration of Federated Learning–Based On-Device AI Self-Diagnostics for High-Failure-Rate Equipment,” aims to reduce reliance on centralized servers by enabling real-time, on-site AI diagnostics directly at industrial facilities. The long-term program runs from 2024 through 2027 and focuses on deploying scalable, privacy-preserving AI technologies suitable for real-world manufacturing environments.
Through this initiative, FutureMain is validating AI-based diagnostic technologies across more than 30 major industrial assets, prioritizing equipment with high failure frequencies and complex maintenance requirements. The core objective is to verify a system architecture capable of analyzing equipment conditions and detecting early-stage anomalies using operational data in live industrial settings.
A key differentiator of the project is its on-device AI diagnostic framework, which processes data locally at the equipment level rather than relying on continuous cloud connectivity. This approach enables reliable deployment even in industrial environments with limited or unstable communication infrastructure, expanding applicability across diverse global manufacturing sites.
As the lead organization of the consortium, FutureMain is responsible for the collection, integration, and convergence analysis of equipment and process data, as well as the development of automated fault diagnosis, asset condition assessment technologies, and federated learning–based data privacy and security frameworks.
Consortium partners include the Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology (AICT), which leads the development of federated learning–based remaining useful life (RUL) prediction algorithms; Sibery Solutions, which is developing the SmartMRO-Hub platform to optimize maintenance operations based on diagnostic outcomes; and MathAI, which is responsible for multilingual equipment voice recognition and sLLM-based conversational HMI technologies.
Rather than pursuing short-term outcomes, the project is designed to progressively advance AI-driven equipment diagnostics toward practical, industrial-grade deployment. FutureMain plans to continuously evaluate both technical maturity and field applicability throughout the project lifecycle, building a foundation to establish new benchmarks in intelligent asset management.
“In an environment where opportunities for domestic AI companies and research institutions to collaborate on high-level industrial R&D are limited, this project is particularly meaningful,” said Shinhye Lee, Director at FutureMain. “It demonstrates that advanced equipment and process optimization can be achieved using homegrown technologies, while also driving the development of a differentiated, integrated AX solution that combines MRO and LLM technologies.”
She added, “Our ultimate goal is to enable optimal management of high-failure-rate equipment and move toward the realization of zero-downtime factories.”
The developed technologies were showcased at CES 2026, where FutureMain exhibited at Eureka Park and introduced its AI-based equipment diagnostics to global industry stakeholders. During the event, the company engaged in technical exchanges with international partners and discussed potential applications across global industrial sites.
As part of its global expansion efforts, FutureMain signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Belgium-based Soundnodes and Türkiye-based airgemba to support entry into the European market, along with two additional cooperation agreements, bringing the total to four new MOUs. Approximately USD 4 million in export consultations were conducted during the exhibition, further validating the company’s global business potential.
Building on the technical validation and research experience accumulated through this project, FutureMain also exhibited in ADIPEC 2025, expanding collaboration discussions across the Middle East and other global industrial markets. The company expects that the technological credibility and real-world validation secured through this long-term initiative will serve as a critical foundation for future global expansion.
FutureMain Advances AI-Based On-Device Diagnostics for High-Failure-Rate Equipment Through Government-Led R&D Program, Validating Global Industrial Applicability
