AI for Regulated Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: Körber presents AI-native solution based on Microsoft Azure

Cologne (Germany), October 22, 2026 – With K.AI, Körber is expanding its AI platform for pharmaceutical manufacturing, built on Microsoft Azure. The solution helps pharmaceutical manufacturers digitize, search and update complex drug recipes with the support of AI, for example. At the same time, K.AI boosts operational efficiency while meeting stringent pharmaceutical regulatory requirements. Körber will share insights into the solution and its applications at the Microsoft Frontier Tour in Cologne on October 22.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing involves creating, reviewing and updating large volumes of highly precise recipes, with every change requiring seamless documentation. For this purpose, generic generative AI models are not sufficient. AI-generated results must be correct, traceable and fact-based. Körber’s answer is an AI-native software solution for digital manufacturing processes in pharmaceutical production. It combines Körber’s expertise in software and pharmaceuticals with Microsoft’s Azure-based technology in a dependable AI solution.

PharmaGuardrails technology

The solution combines Microsoft Azure, Azure OpenAI Service and Azure AI Foundry as a scalable AI foundation with Körber’s PharmaGuardrails technology. The latter adds pharmaceutical governance, traceability and validation mechanisms to generative AI capabilities. It also checks every AI response using a specialized algorithm, helping to virtually eliminate AI hallucinations and incorrect answers. This allows AI-generated results to be reviewed and validated in a traceable way for regulated use cases. As a result, specialists can search and update recipes easily using natural language. Review and approval remain in human hands.

“In regulated manufacturing environments where patient safety is directly affected, ‘almost right’ is not good enough. People need to be able to access high-quality, reliable results,” said Shaun Tyler, Vice President Artificial Intelligence, Software, at Körber Business Area Pharma. “Jointly with Microsoft, we are harnessing the potential of generative AI and safeguarding it with our PharmaGuardrails technology to deliver trusted results at scale – while keeping humans in control.” Initial pilot projects indicate that recipes can be digitized around 30 percent faster and the proportion of manual steps reduced by up to 40 percent.

A partnership combining technology and pharmaceutical expertise

In response to the growing complexity of industrial pharmaceutical manufacturing and automation, Körber and Microsoft have opted for a dedicated AI innovation partnership. Agnes Heftberger, Corporate Vice President & CEO, Microsoft Germany & Austria, said: “Our collaboration brings together the strengths of both companies: Körber contributes extensive expertise in pharmaceutical operations and regulatory requirements, while Microsoft provides its high-performance AI and cloud platform with a comprehensive security architecture.” The solution is intended to deliver responsibly developed, scalable applications for use in strictly regulated operations.

The partners set out not only to digitize processes, but also to create a flexible knowledge base for the relevant production areas – one that uses AI to support the search and adaptation of structured operational data. Ultimately, the aim is to empower decision-makers to make the best possible data-driven decisions.

More details about the AI innovation partnership between Körber and Microsoft are available via the following link.

About Körber

At Körber Business Area Pharma, we empower our customers with a holistic ecosystem approach. Our unique portfolio of end-to-end solutions ranges from machines—for aseptic processing, inspection, packaging and materials, and transport systems—to consulting, services, software, and digital and AI-driven solutions that serve as integrating layers to boost pharmaceutical manufacturing.

We simplify processes, reduce risks and accelerate time-to-market—ensuring smooth collaboration along the entire pharmaceutical, biotech and life sciences value chain. With deep industry expertise, we support global customers in unlocking new potential. Our solutions contribute to a better quality of life for both present and future generations.

Körber is a global technology company for intelligent manufacturing and supply chain solutions. As a reliable innovation partner, Körber turns entrepreneurial thinking into customer success by providing leading technology to fuel what’s next—from end-to-end pharma production and advanced supply chain solutions to high-tech machinery and process equipment. Körber combines deep domain expertise with integrated hardware, software, and digital services, to help customers take the next step.

Press Contact

Tanja Ehrlich
Head of Marketing, Brand & Communications
Tanja.Ehrlich@koerber.com
+49 40 21107-491

Press Contact Microsoft

André Pechmann
Director Communications
andre.pechmann@microsoft.com