Daikin and Hitachi Begin Trial of AI Agent for Equipment Failure Diagnostics in Factories

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Daikin and Hitachi Begin Trial of AI Agent for Equipment Failure Diagnostics in Factories

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Daikin Industries, Ltd. and Hitachi, Ltd. have begun a trial operation in April 2025 at the Sakai Plant-Rinkai Factory (Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture) where Daikin manufactures commercial air conditioning equipment. Their aim is to commercialize an "AI Agent for Equipment Failure Diagnostics" that supports equipment failure diagnostics in factories. The system works by first converting the factory equipment drawings that Daikin has accumulated — such as various production and utility equipment — into knowledge graphs that generative AI can read. Then, the generative AI learns "OT data," which includes the knowledge graphs, maintenance records, and "OT skills," Hitachi's unique equipment failure cause analysis process based on STAMP (System Theoretic Accident Model and Processes) and other methods. This achieves failure diagnostics on par with or exceeding the capabilities of Daikin's standard maintenance technicians. A preliminary demonstration test confirmed that the agent could identify the cause of equipment failure and recommend corrective actions within 10 seconds at an accuracy of over 90%. When a maintenance technician armed with a tablet device discovers a failure in a pump or valve while inspecting production equipment, the AI Agent for Equipment Failure Diagnostics will indicate the cause and needed corrective actions directly to the technician. Daikin and Hitachi plan to complete the trial operation by September 2025 before beginning practical application of the AI agent. By developing it to Daikin's manufacturing bases both in Japan and overseas, the company intends to share its tacit knowledge of equipment maintenance as organizational knowledge in order to ensure global quality, the transfer of skills, and improved productivity of frontline workers. For its part, Hitachi will adopt the AI Agent for Equipment Failure Diagnostics as a Lumada solution throughout the manufacturing industry and provide applications combining OT knowledge and IT into fields other than equipment maintenance. Hitachi will also help frontline workers improve work efficiency by including services such as the "AI Agent Development, Operation, and Environment Provision Service," which rapidly develops and generates AI agents that utilize OT knowledge. Background: The manufacturing industry faces a shrinking working-age population and a drop in skilled technicians. Daikin manufactures air conditioners at over 90 production sites in 28 countries, with overseas factories increasingly unable to hire maintenance technicians. Hitachi established the Generative AI Center in May 2023 to promote the safe and effective use of generative AI both internally and externally. The two companies have collaborated since 2017 on production model digitalization initiatives, including brazing work, fluorochemical reaction processes, and chemicals business production planning.