Nanjing Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. (NISCO) has put into commercial production what it describes as the world's first steel model based on swarm intelligence. Built with Huawei and ecosystem partners, the YuanYe Steel Large Model moves steel production from relying on experience to being driven by data and collaborative intelligence.
At its core is a combination of several AI models with the metallurgical mechanism models of the steel industry. YuanYe uses a "right brain" for probabilistic computing and a "left brain" for precise, science-based decisions. Rather than one general-purpose model, it is a coordinated cluster of models working across different plant areas.
The system powers an intelligent operations center with real-time digital twins, built from millions of operational technology (OT) data points across 26 business domains. NISCO says 100% of its key equipment is now connected and digitally controlled. It also reports 25 business agents launched and over 300 AI models integrated into core activities.
The reported results span four stages. In ironmaking, a furnace temperature model anticipates problems two hours ahead with over 90% accuracy and lifts prime-grade molten iron yield by more than 10%. In rolling, a rolling-force prediction model narrows thickness tolerance to ±0.2 mm and raises the hit rate from 88% to 98%, supporting steady annual output above 2.5 million tons of plate. In quality inspection, an automated metallographic system exceeds 95% accuracy and cuts per-sample time from 10 minutes to 3-5 minutes. In environmental control, NISCO is developing an agent for sulfur control in gas and flue gas.
Overall, the company says digitalization has cut annual costs by over 100 million yuan, about 15 million US dollars, and halved new product development cycles. These are figures reported by the company itself and not independently verified.
The news fits Huawei's push to expand its industrial offering, following its rail solutions presented in September (Intelligent RAIL 2.0). The NISCO case shows Ascend infrastructure and the Pangu models applied in a heavy industry like steel.
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