Engineering giant ABB is committing $150 million to the building of a fully-automated factory in China that will employ artificial intelligence to build industrial robots.

ABB says the entire factory will be modelled as a digital twin, where human operators will remotely manipulate and maintain the physical space through a digital interface.

The setup, powered by in-house ABB software, will feature tailored dashboards for senior management, engineers, operators and maintenance experts.

The process includes gathering analytical information on the health and performance of the robots as they work in order to better-conserve energy and preempt any potential anomalies.

The Swiss-Swedish engineering group is aiming to open its new factory in Shanghai by the end of 2020. It will be based near ABB's China robotics campus, as the company aims to defend its place as the country's largest manufacturer of industrial robots.

"The concept behind this factory is the same advice we give our customers every day: invest in automation solutions that provide flexibility and agility to grow in whichever direction the market goes," said president of ABB's Robotics and Motion division Sami Atiya.

"ABB is proud to help our customers in China and around the world with solutions that take full advantage of the latest technologies to meet the challenges of mass customization, faster cycles and constant change which have become the new normal - even in our own factories."