Robotic arms inside the Nio F2 factory. Credit: Nio
- The World Economic Forum recognized Nio’s achievements in deploying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies at scale.
- AI drives decision-making in about 80% of the factory’s manufacturing scenarios, with 90% of R&D workflows automated.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) on June 22 announced the latest additions to its Global Lighthouse Network (GLN), with the second factory (F2) of Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) making the list.
The network was launched by the WEF in collaboration with McKinsey & Company. It recognizes manufacturing facilities that have achieved outstanding results in applying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies at scale.
With its rigorous evaluation standards and independent selection process, the network is widely regarded as a benchmark in advanced manufacturing.
Competition in the EV sector is intensifying, the WEF said, requiring companies to achieve faster product development, customization and system integration across R&D, manufacturing and quality management, according to a press release.
To address these industry challenges, Nio has built a real-time closed-loop system. The system connects in-vehicle AI, battery swap networks and a digital twin platform capable of managing more than 3.6 million vehicle configurations.
The transformation accelerated Nio’s speed-to-market by 44% and automated 90% of its R&D workflows, the WEF noted.
As a fully digitalized smart factory, F2 runs on industrial AI algorithms, foundation models and a portfolio of specialized AI models that continue to evolve through in-house development.
About 80% of the factory’s manufacturing scenarios are now supported by AI-driven decision-making, according to Nio.
Nio’s push into automation has been evident for some time. In March 2025, Nio founder, Chairman and CEO William Li shared animated images on Weibo showing robotic arms serving as quality inspectors at the F2 plant.
Li said at the time that the robot inspectors performed smoothly across a series of actions, including inserting the charging gun, taking photos, conducting inspections and removing the gun.
Factories run by Chinese EV makers are generally highly automated. As humanoid robot technology advances rapidly, more sophisticated robots are being put into use.
Before joining the lighthouse network, Nio’s F2 factory had been recognized as a National Green Factory by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It was also designated a Super Automotive Factory by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC).
Beyond its manufacturing capabilities, the F2 factory was designed from the outset with public access in mind. Nio hopes that by opening its factories, more people will have the opportunity to experience and better understand China’s intelligent manufacturing ecosystem.
Since launching factory tours in 2018, Nio’s F1 and F2 vehicle factories in Hefei have welcomed nearly 300,000 visitors from around the world, according to the company.
As an important part of the company’s innovation capabilities, Nio’s advanced manufacturing system will continue to build on Global Lighthouse Network standards, the company said. It will further integrate AI with advanced manufacturing technologies and set new benchmarks for intelligent manufacturing in China.
Nio unveiled a new engineering facility in Witney, Oxfordshire, cementing the status of its earliest overseas R&D base.
