HP Innovation Journal Issue 11: Winter 2018 | Page 19

greater wealth, cheaper goods, increased consumer spending power, and more jobs. EMBRACING THE FUTURE Asia-Pacific provides fertile ground for 3D printing to flourish, with the region accounting for nearly half the global manufacturing market. The demand needed to push the adoption of 3D printing is rising. The continued growth of the region’s economies requires the utilization of new technology, a radical reduction in the intensity of resource use, more cost-effective production, and a skilled and tech-savvy workforce. In China, these transformations have already begun. By the end of 2018, the nation will spend more than $1.5 billion on 3D printing. HP, together with Guangdong (Dali) 3D Printing Collaborative Innovation Platform, recently unveiled a new production-grade 3D printing center in China—the world’s largest manufacturing market. This is HP’s largest deployment of production-grade 3D printing in Asia-Pacific. Meanwhile, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has identified advanced manufacturing as one of the country’s key growth sectors, predicting it will reach $270 billion by 2020. As Japan continues to transform its manufacturing, health care, processes, and infrastructure, there has been an increased focus on Industry 4.0 technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence (AI), and 3D printing. This is just the start. Sensing the potential impact, governments across the region are investing significantly in building 3D printing ecosystems. In 2017, the South Korean government announced its plans to invest $37 million to speed up the country’s development of 3D printing. China has also announced plans to invest $245 million over the next seven years to boost its output, with the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center allocating $132 million to research and development (R&D) and applications. Over the coming decade, China is expected to overtake the United States as the largest R&D spender, increasing the likelihood of 3D printing success. South Korea, Singapore, and China are also among the top global spenders on 3D printing, with year-on-year spend increasing by 10%, 8.2% and 6.4%, respectively. 7 Singapore has similarly identified the potential impact of 3D printing, especially in areas such as biomedicine. HP, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and the National Research Foundation recently launched the new HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate Lab. Hundreds of its researchers and staff will focus on advancing 3D printing, using AI, machine learning, new applications and materials, cybersecurity, and customization. The lab will further establish Singapore as a key center of excellence in the global 3D printing ecosystem by driving rapid outcomes, from basic research to applications in higher technology readiness levels. ASIA RISING: 3D PRINTING IN APJ 17