Successfully using
AR and automation
to create
Micron Technology invests in manufacturing andoperational excellence to fuel product delivery today
and innovation tomorrow. It starts with deep investment
in manufacturing innovation to meet rising memory andstorage demands, and then expands to a keen focus on
operational excellence to navigate marketplace volatility.
The pandemic is transforming
how factories operate — whereremote operations enabled bysmart manufacturing technologies
have become the new normal for
improved productivity and quality.
With Lenovo ThinkReality andholo|one augmented reality (AR)technology, Micron engineers
can collaborate remotely anddevelop critical instructions
and information within their
AR environment in real time tocarry out essential maintenanceand repair of manufacturing
equipment, optimizing equipment
operating time. Looking to thefuture, Micron plans to enhance
its ThinkReality remote assistancesolution with 3D overlays andmachine-vision, deviationdetection capability to empowerengineers to work even moreproductively.

Micron is an industry leader ininnovative memory and storage
solutions, transforming how theworld uses information to enrichlife for all. Founded in 1978 inthe basement of a dental office,Micron has grown to become
one of the largest semiconductor
manufacturers in the world, with arevenue of US$27.7 billion in fiscal
2021. Its rich portfolio of highperformance DRAM, NAND based
memory and storage products
fuel the data economy, enablingadvances in artificial intelligence(AI) and 5G applications that
unleash opportunities — from thedata center to the intelligent edge,
and across the client and mobile
user experience. Headquarteredin Boise, Idaho, Micron employs
more than 43,000 people in 17countries.

1978

founded in thebasement of adental office$27.7B USD

annual revenue(2021)

43,000employees in
17 countries

Ramping up production
Demand in the semiconductor
industry is driven largely by newtechnologies, such as the hugeincrease in popularity of PCs in
the late 1990s and early 2000s,
and the widespread adoptionof smartphones in the early2010s. Today, advances in AI, bigdata analytics, and the internetof things (IoT) are fueling data
growth that is increasing thedemand for memory technology.
Furthermore, the COVID-19
pandemic has quickened
digital transformation anddriven accelerating demand forsemiconductors.
Ning Khang Lee, Director of Smart
Manufacturing & AI at Micron,comments “For Micron, Industry
4.0 technology as a staple in ouroperations is the next evolution,
allowing us to produce highly
complex products with thehighest quality and to accelerate
time-to-market while maximizing
energy efficiency, reducing waste,
and maintaining an efficient endto-end supply chain. We haveidentified augmented reality/
virtual reality technology as oneof the solutions to make a stepchange in workforce productivity.”

Co-creating theideal solution
In early 2019, Micron began
exploring AR solutions for remoteassistance to connect engineers
on the shop floor with experts in ashared virtual environment. “Ourplan was to use AR technology
to enable technicians acrossdifferent sites to work remotely
together with subject matterWe believe that AR/VR technology has a vitalrole to play in the future of manufacturing. With
the Lenovo ThinkReality solution powered byholo|one software, engineers can work more efficiently tokeep production facilities running smoothly, helping us tomeet growing demand for our products.”
Ning Khang Lee, Director of Smart Manufacturing & AI, Micron

experts in real time to carry out
new equipment installations,
machine troubleshooting, andmaintenance,” says Lee.
After evaluating hardware andsoftware solutions from a wide
range of vendors, from industry
leaders to innovative startups,
Micron selected the Lenovo
ThinkReality platform integrated
with holo|one to be used with
Microsoft HoloLens 2 wearables.
“holo|one is a leader in the AR/
VR space, and we were very
impressed by the intuitive userinterface of the holo|one software,”
Lee notes. “Lenovo was an easy
choice for the underlying platform.
The Lenovo ThinkReality platform
is specifically optimized for theholo|one suite of mixed reality
software applications, enabling us
to take advantage of the agility
and flexibility of a disruptive
startup like holo|one with theguarantees and excellent services
from a tech giant like Lenovo.”
When news of the COVID-19
outbreak in China began tocirculate in 2020, Micron quickly
accelerated the program roadmap
and launched a proof-of-concept
exercise. Micron worked closelywith Lenovo and holo|one tointegrate ThinkReality with

its internal systems and meetstringent security requirements.
According to Lee, “To protect ourintellectual property, we need toensure that data streaming between
on-site engineers and external
experts is completely secure. Boththe Lenovo and holo|one teams put
in a lot of development hours tohelp us achieve the right balance ofopenness, ease of use, and security.”

Connecting people
in real time
With support from Lenovo andholo|one, Micron implemented
the ThinkReality solution in just a
few months, putting the company
in a strong position to deal withthe disruption caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic.
“We brought forward the firstphase of our remote expert
initiative because of COVID-19,
and it is now fully operational,”says Lee. “With hands-free video
calling, engineers on the shop
floor receive detailed guidancefrom colleagues at a sister site orexperts from the manufacturing
equipment producer who have fullvisibility of the issue in real time
as if they were on-site. Althoughpeople were unable to travel
due to COVID-19 restrictions,the Lenovo ThinkReality solution
helped us keep new equipment
installation schedules androutine maintenance on track
and carry out repairs in a timely
manner, reducing downtime
and maximizing use of ourmanufacturing assets.”

Looking to the future
Impressed with the results of thefirst phase of the project, Micron
is now finalizing phase two of its
AR program — the phase to enable
AR standard operating procedures(SOPs) at the point of demand. Thecompany is working with Lenovo,
relying on its xR services offeringto convert SOPs into AR format, sothat engineers will have step–by–
step guidance in their peripheral
visions with the wearables on.
Lee elaborates, “Our goal is tointegrate AR workflows withBlueprint, our central depository
for digital SOPs. If a machine
goes down, engineers get analert via Blueprint and are given

instructions for repair and achecklist for bringing it back to an
operational state. By making theseSOPs available via the ThinkReality
platform and holo|one, engineers
can work more efficiently andproductively to get machines up
and running again. We’re working
closely with Lenovo’s xR service
team to integrate Blueprint with
the ThinkReality platform via
custom APIs. We expect to bring
the solution online in early 2022.”
Phase three of the project will
expand on the SOP solution,
including 3D overlays anddeviation detection via machine
vision. “Particularly for complex
repairs and SOPs with higher
possibilities for human error,
3D overlays will act as an extra
helping hand, and the visual AI will
alert engineers if any mismatchis detected,” says Chong Ee Low,
Manager of Smart Manufacturing& AI at Micron. “This will also help
when training newly qualified
engineers. Phase three is still at anearly stage, but we are very excited

The Smarter Solution
Agility built on reliability

ThinkReality works as an underlying platform for the newest
advancements in AR/VR, empowering Micron to leverage
cutting-edge tech while trusting in the tried-and-true
reputation that comes with a Lenovo product.

Smooth operations

Micron is working closely with Lenovo’s xR service team
to convert their standard operating procedures into AR
format, enabling Micron’s enginneers to quickly troubleshootmachinery and keep production moving.

Swift, sophisticated set-up

With end-to-end deployment services from Lenovo, Micron
implemented the ThinkReality solution in just a few months,putting the company in a strong position to deal with thedisruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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about the ongoing
evolution of ourremote assistancesolutions.”“We believe that AR/VR
technology has a vital role to playin the future of manufacturing,”
Lee concludes. “With the Lenovo
ThinkReality solution poweredby holo|one software, engineers
can work more efficiently tokeep production facilities runningsmoothly, helping us to meet thegrowing demand for our products.”