Smart Manufacturing in Action｜Inspur Computer Chongqing Base: Equipping Production Lines with an “Intelligent Core” to Build a New Smart Manufacturing Benchmark

Editor’s Note: This year‘s Government Work Report calls for shaping new forms of the intelligent economy and deepening the “AI+” initiative. Our Smart Manufacturing in Action column goes to the front lines of industry to track the implementation of new technologies, projects, and scenarios, documenting the trajectory of Chongqing‘s intelligent industries from blueprint to reality.

In this episode, we visit Inspur Computer‘s Chongqing Base to see firsthand how digital systems, flexible production lines, and intelligent equipment are significantly improving the efficiency of computer and server manufacturing.

From components to finished products, the assembly of a computer or server goes through multiple stages: sorting, assembly, burn-in testing, inspection, and packaging. In the past, these stages relied heavily on manual handling, manual inspection, and manual scheduling. Today, at Inspur Computer’s Chongqing production base, this entire process is connected by digital systems, making hardware manufacturing more efficient, flexible, and controllable.

Recently, reporters visited Inspur Computer‘s Chongqing Base to explore how this smart factory—which went into production late last year—is using digital systems, flexible production lines, and intelligent equipment to boost manufacturing efficiency and drive intelligent upgrading of the production line.

Connecting the Full Production Process
Building a New Smart Manufacturing Model

Stepping onto the production floor of Inspur Computer’s Chongqing Base, AGVs (automated guided vehicles) shuttle orderly through the facility. A future-oriented factory, integrating world-class manufacturing processes and intelligent technologies, comes into view. Leveraging next-generation information technologies such as AI, big data, and 5G+, and deeply integrating CRM, ERP, PLM, and other information systems, the base employs AGVs, intelligent robots, high-precision smart sensors, and vision recognition to build a fully connected “smart manufacturing and smart logistics” model—from order receipt to finished product shipping.

“The base‘s production lines cover five core stages: sorting, assembly, burn-in testing, inspection, and packaging. Traditional lines face pain points like slow changeovers, difficult inspection, low logistics efficiency, and heavy reliance on manual labor. We’ve solved each of these with intelligent workstations,” said Chen Shi, head of the Inspur Computer Chongqing production base.

At the automatic chassis loading station, reporters saw that after a production order is issued, an unmanned vehicle immediately transports the chassis from the sorting area to the station. Chen explained: “With the collaboration of high-definition vision systems and industrial robots, the server chassis is delivered to the designated position on the tooling plate according to the preset production rhythm. The robot‘s repeat positioning accuracy has a maximum deviation of just 0.03mm—only one-third the thickness of a sheet of A4 paper. This precise hardware-software collaboration not only significantly improves production efficiency but also minimizes the risk of scratching the chassis.”

On the other side, the memory assembly workstation operates in a human-robot collaboration mode. A highly compatible memory assembly “recipe” enables production of all current computer and server models, as well as future iterations, fully leveraging human intelligence and machine efficiency for a 1+1>2 effect.
“The base‘s intelligent AOI (automated optical inspection) station handles defect detection during the assembly phase. It is equipped with a 0.05mm high-precision vision system and a collaborative robot with 0.03mm repeat positioning accuracy,” Chen said. After over a million AI training cycles, the AOI station has achieved 99.98% recognition accuracy, effectively reducing the risk of missed defects from manual inspection.

Notably, the burn-in area (the high-standard stress testing area) at the base is capable of stress testing both computers and servers. “The burn-in area has 600 burn-in positions, enabling simultaneous stress testing of multiple models. After 6 to 24 hours of high-intensity stress testing, we can effectively identify and eliminate early-life failures, ensuring product quality and preventing potential quality risks,” Chen said. The burn-in area is equipped with an in-house developed diagnostic testing system that supports software development and integration for over 100 product models. Facing diverse testing requirements, the system intelligently integrates various diagnostic OS platforms and automatically switches during production based on product needs, meeting different testing scenarios and ensuring comprehensive quality control.

From “Building a Line” to “Setting a Benchmark”

“The establishment of Inspur Computer‘s Chongqing Base is rooted in Inspur’s deep expertise and commitment to security and reliability,” Chen said. Inspur Computer focuses on the R&D of computers and servers based on ARM and c86 architectures, serving critical industries such as government, finance, communications, energy, and transportation. The company has held a leading market share for four consecutive years.

On the technology front, Inspur Computer‘s secure and reliable servers have broken the TPC’s world record for IoT system performance benchmarking. The company has received first prizes for scientific and technological progress from the Chinese Institute of Electronics and the China Computer Federation, as well as the China Patent Excellence Award. Its products have won international design honors including the Red Dot Award and the A‘ Design Award. On the industrial front, its smart manufacturing factory has been recognized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as an “Excellent-Level Smart Factory,” and the Chongqing Base was built to that standard.

“We’re not just building an intelligent production line—we‘re using data as the core to empower the entire computer and server manufacturing process,” Chen said. The Chongqing Base deeply integrates eight major information systems—ERP, APO, PLM, MES, WMS, DIAG, TMS, and EMS—to achieve full-process digital management and cross-system data sharing. It has overcome key technologies including dynamic optimization of smart scheduling, high-precision assembly processes, and full-lifecycle quality traceability. The rate of key process CNC and equipment connectivity has reached 100%, and production efficiency has improved by nearly 40%, enabling a transformation from mass production to flexible smart manufacturing.

Through this smart manufacturing system, the Chongqing Base is further embedding Inspur Computer‘s capabilities in R&D, production organization, quality control, and delivery services directly into the production line. This is not just a production base—it is an intelligent manufacturing model for the production of multiple computer and server models.

Chongqing’s Smart Manufacturing Power
Empowering Western China‘s Industrial Upgrading

As an important manufacturing base for Inspur Computer in western China, the Chongqing Base enhances the company’s regional manufacturing and delivery capabilities for computers and servers. Its products will primarily target applications in government, education, finance, energy, transportation, healthcare, and industrial internet, providing hardware support for regional digital development.

As Chongqing accelerates the construction of its “33618” modern manufacturing cluster system and promotes the digital and intelligent transformation of manufacturing, demand for hardware products such as computers and servers in industrial internet, smart manufacturing, smart cities, education, and healthcare will be further unleashed. Chen said the Chongqing Base will continue to strengthen its flexible production, intelligent testing, and rapid delivery capabilities in response to local and western regional market needs, providing support for the digital transformation of regional industries.

Source: World Intelligence Expo – Chongqing
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