Industrial Metaverse: Prospects for the Future Form of Intelligent Manufacturing
On February 4, 2022, Meta, a company that fully deployed the "metaverse", saw its stock price plummet by 26% on the day of disclosing its financial report, setting a record for the largest market value decline in the history of the US stock market, with a market value drop of over $237 billion; On February 16th, Roblox, the "number one stock in the metaverse," released its financial report and its stock price fell by 15% after the market closed the next day, with its market value shrinking by about $50 billion. In the past year, the capital market's enthusiasm for the concept of the metaverse has shifted towards calmness, and investors have also realized that there is a significant gap between the concept of the metaverse and reality. The CCID Consulting Intelligent Manufacturing Research Center believes that the transformation of the metaverse from concept to application still requires continuous experimentation by enterprises and research institutions, advancing the iteration and updating of basic technologies and key equipment, and exploring more application scenarios. In particular, the application of metaverse related technologies in the industrial sector will empower various scenarios of the industrial product lifecycle, effectively promoting the intelligent upgrading of the industrial sector, and its application value will far exceed that of the consumer sector.
1、 The "virtual real synergy" of the industrial metaverse is the future form of intelligent manufacturing
（1） How to understand the industrial metaverse?
The industrial metaverse refers to the application of metaverse related technologies in the industrial field, which comprehensively deploys the research and development design, production and manufacturing, marketing and sales, after-sales service and other aspects and scenarios in the real industrial environment in the virtual space. By connecting the virtual space and the real space, industrial improvement and optimization can be achieved, forming a new manufacturing and service system, achieving the effects of reducing costs, improving production efficiency, efficient collaboration, and promoting high-quality industrial development.
（2） The industrial metaverse achieves "virtual real synergy" by transitioning from virtual to real
Industrial metaverse, similar to the concept of "digital twin", differs in that digital twin is a 1:1 mapping from the real world to the virtual world, simulating industrial production in the real world by controlling production processes and equipment in the virtual world; The industrial metaverse has a broader imagination than digital twins. The virtual world reflected by the industrial metaverse not only has a mapping of the real world, but also has experiences and interactions that have not yet been realized or even cannot be realized in the real world. In addition, the industrial metaverse places greater emphasis on the collaborative linkage between virtual space and real space, in order to achieve virtual operation guidance for real industry.
（3） Industrial metaverse helps upgrade intelligent manufacturing comprehensively
Intelligent manufacturing, based on the deep integration of new generation information technology and advanced manufacturing technology, runs through various aspects of manufacturing activities such as design, production, management, and service. It is a new production mode dedicated to promoting the digital, networked, and intelligent transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry. The industrial metaverse is more like the future form of intelligent manufacturing, with the main means of promoting the linkage between virtual space and real space. It emphasizes mapping and expanding the operations that physical industry can achieve in virtual space. Through collaborative work and simulated operation in virtual space, it guides the efficient operation of physical industry, empowers various links and scenarios of industry, enables industrial enterprises to achieve the goal of reducing costs and improving production efficiency, promotes efficient collaboration within and between enterprises, assists in the high-quality development of industry, and further upgrades intelligent manufacturing.
2、 Looking ahead, the application scenarios of industrial metaverse will achieve full lifecycle coverage of products
现阶段工业元宇宙的大部分案例更趋近于“数字孪生”技术的应用。展望未来，工业元宇宙的应用场景将覆盖从研发到售后服务的产品全生命周期，由“虚”向“实”指导和推进工业流程优化和效率提升。以下从研发设计、生产优化、设备运维、产品测试、技能培训等多个环节切入，展望工业元宇宙可能的应用场景。
（一）研发设计
相比现阶段利用工业软件进行产品设计，工业元宇宙相关技术应用下的研发设计将在更大程度上提高产品开发效率、降低产品开发成本。在产品设计方面，通过工业元宇宙平台可控制产品应用时的环境因素，并基于在工业元宇宙平台中设计的产品模型对产品各零部件的作用方式做出直观、精准的模拟，能够有效验证产品性能。在协同设计方面，工业元宇宙能够打破地域限制，支持多方协同设计，用户也可以在工业元宇宙平台上参与产品设计并体验其设计的产品。在用户体验方面，工业元宇宙平台上的产品研发经过用户的深层参与，更加贴近用户需求，并能在更大程度上增强用户体验。
（二）生产优化
通过工业元宇宙平台，能够沉浸式体验虚拟智能工厂的建设和运营过程，与虚拟智能工厂中的设备、产线进行实时交互，可以更加直观、便捷地优化生产流程、开展智能排产。在智能工厂建设前期，可利用工业元宇宙平台建设与现实智能工厂的建筑结构、产线布置、生产流程、设备结构一致的虚拟智能工厂，从而能够实现对产能配置、设备结构、人员动线等方面合理性的提前验证。对于智能工厂生产过程中的任何变动，都可以在虚拟智能工厂中进行模拟，预测生产状态，实现生产流程优化。例如，宝马与英伟达正开展虚拟工厂相关合作，宝马引入英伟达元宇宙平台（Omniverse平台）协调31座工厂生产，有望将宝马的生产规划效率提高30%。
（三）设备运维
相对于现阶段利用大数据分析的预测性维护，基于工业元宇宙的设备运维能够打破空间限制，有效提高设备运维响应效率和服务质量。在工业元宇宙平台建立的虚拟空间中，运维人员将不受地域限制，在生产设备出现问题时，能够实现远程实时确认设备情况，及时修复问题。对于难度大、复杂程度高的设备问题，可以通过工业元宇宙平台汇聚全球各地的专家，共同商讨解决方案，从而提高生产效率。
（四）产品测试
对于应用标准高、测试要求复杂的产品，工业元宇宙能够提供虚拟环境以开展试验验证和产品性能测试。通过虚实结合实现物理空间和虚拟空间的同步测试，更加直观地感受产品的内外部变化，提高测试认证效率和准确性。例如，相对于民用消费级芯片产品，车规级AI芯片由于工作环境多变、安全性要求高等因素，功能设计复杂，其研发、测试、认证流程十分严苛，需满足多项国际国内行业标准。工业元宇宙可为车规级AI芯片提供虚拟测试空间，工程师可以用较低的成本对车规级AI芯片进行测试，也可以模拟和体验搭载AI芯片的自动驾驶汽车，提高车规级AI芯片的测试、认证效率。
（五）技能培训
工业元宇宙能够有效提高教学培训效率，为高等院校、企业等组织提供培训学生、员工专业技能的虚拟设备，让学员更加直观地操作生产设备。同时，对于地震、失火等极端特殊情况，可以通过工业元宇宙平台搭建虚拟空间，供相关人员演习逃生路线和检验事故处理办法。
三、筑牢基础，迎接“工业元宇宙”时代的到来
工业元宇宙打造现实世界与虚拟世界互通发展，呈现虚实融合互相影响的形态，需要强大的算力、网络等基础技术作为底座，也需要强大的芯片、传感器、光学镜头、VR/AR设备等硬件设备支撑工业元宇宙的想象和发展。为促进工业元宇宙从概念落实到应用，需要进一步开展多方面研究和建设。对于工业元宇宙，我们倡议政府和企业可以布局和发展工业元宇宙相关技术，不要过度吹捧概念，避免基础不牢导致“泡沫”过多。
一方面，要加速数字化、算力等新型基础设施建设，加强云计算、大数据、人工智能等基础技术研究。一是持续推进数字化基础设施建设，推进“双千兆”网络部署与应用，支持工业企业运用新型网络技术和先进适用技术改造建设企业网络，为工业元宇宙提供高带宽、低延时、高可靠的网络接入能力。二是加速建设数据中心，开展算力提升行动，推进国家枢纽节点之间进一步打通网络传输通道，加快实施“东数西算”工程，提升跨区域算力调度水平。三是鼓励高校、科研院所、企业等组织推进云计算、大数据等技术研究，加速工业元宇宙转化进程。
另一方面，应加强VR/AR等相关硬件设备研发与应用，推进光学镜头、显示面板、主控芯片、传感器、存储器等关键设备技术升级。一是推进关键核心技术“揭榜挂帅”行动，针对芯片、传感器、存储器等核心技术和工具设备研发设立专项研究课题，面向高等院校、科研院所、企业等组织“揭榜挂帅”，呼吁有能力的组织围绕薄弱环节开展自主研发或联合研究。二是加速推进建模、仿真类工业软件开发，支持有基础的企业持续开发和完善研发设计类工业软件，鼓励社会资本、产业基金支持我国研发设计类工业软件发展，拉近当前我国研发设计类工业软件与国外的差距，加速补齐短板，为元宇宙赋能工业奠定基础。
Information source:赛迪顾问智能制造产业研究中心
