NC AI, a specialized AI company specializing in industry, announced the launch of the K-Physical AI Alliance consortium to develop physical AI technology in South Korea. The consortium was formed in response to the "World Foundation Model Technology Development for Physical AI Model Learning" project, hosted by the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA).
NC AI's K-Physical AI Alliance is a massive research and development team that provides integrated support from technology development, validation, and industrial application. NC AI, along with 15 domestic physical AI companies, universities, and government-funded research institutes, are participating. Additionally, 38 demand organizations, including large corporations, startups, and local governments, are included, bringing the total number of collaborating organizations to 53. The consortium plans to develop the World Foundation Model (WFM) and the Robotics Foundation Model (RFM) to establish an environment where robots and AI can understand and act in the real world.
Consortium participants will integrate technologies and infrastructure from companies like RealWorld, C-Mess, FunctionBay, Rainbow Robotics, and Samsung SDS, centered around NC AI's world model. This will overcome the physical limitations of existing generative AI and enable learning and validation based on real-world industrial data. NC AI will oversee the project, leveraging its experience applying reinforcement learning in MMORPG environments and Barco 3D's 3D generative modeling technology.
The consortium plans to conduct validation studies in various industrial settings, including manufacturing, logistics, airports, and urban services, and establish a virtuous cycle that incorporates real-world data into model training. Major corporations, including Samsung SDS, Lotte Innovate, POSCO DX, and Hanwha Ocean, have applied physical AI technology to manufacturing and logistics sites through the consortium.
The consortium will also participate in regional physical AI projects focused on North Jeolla Province, South Gyeongsang Province, Gwangju, and Daegu, and plans to support local industries by addressing labor shortages and fostering innovation. Companies with independent AI foundation models, such as Upstage, have also submitted letters of intent, leaving open the possibility of collaboration.
NC AI CEO Lee Yeon-soo said, “This consortium is a coalition that has come together with the goal of becoming the world’s number one in physical AI, transcending corporate size, industry, and regional boundaries.” He added, “We will lay the foundation for a new 100 years of Korean industry with unrivaled AI technology that connects the virtual and the real, based on the technological prowess of the participating companies and the expectations of the industry.”
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