Implementing Digital Twins That Learn: AI and Simulation Are at the Core

Abstract

As companies are trying to build more resilient supply chains using digital twins created by smart manufacturing technologies, it is imperative that senior executives and technology providers understand the crucial role of process simulation and AI in quantifying the uncertainties of these complex systems. The resulting digital twins enable users to replay history, gain predictive visibility into the future, and identify corrective actions to optimize future performance. In this article, we define process digital twins and their four foundational elements. We discuss how key digital twin functions and enabling AI and simulation technologies integrate to describe, predict, and optimize supply chains for Industry 4.0 implementations.

Keywords

• digital twin
• smart manufacturing
• Industry 4.0
• supply chain resiliency
• machine learning
• artificial intelligence