Official Launch of K-Humanoid Alliance... "Aiming to Become the World's Strongest Nation by 2030"

Five Key Missions: Robot AI, Hardware, Components, and Talent Development
Humanoid Fund to Be Launched

The ‘K-Humanoid Alliance,’ encompassing major domestic robot companies, universities, and research institutions, has officially launched. The government plans to elevate South Korea to become the world’s leading humanoid powerhouse by 2030.

On the 10th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the launch ceremony of the ‘K-Humanoid Alliance’ at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul. About 350 industry, academia, and research stakeholders attended, including Minister An Deok-geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Seoul National University President Yoo Hong-rim.

Approximately 40 organizations, including major domestic robot manufacturers, component companies, AI researchers, and demand companies, are participating in this alliance. The government plans to invest more than 1 trillion KRW in combined public and private funds by 2030, focusing on R&D, fund formation, and M&A.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy explained the background of the launch, stating, "The era of Physical AI following generative AI is arriving," and "Global big tech companies are identifying humanoids as the next battleground for next-generation technology."

In fact, not only U.S. companies such as Tesla, Figure AI, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia but also Chinese companies like Unitree and Ubtech are securing market leadership based on large-scale investments and government support. Meanwhile, South Korea’s technology is recognized, but the scale of investment and the number of experts are absolutely insufficient.

Yonhap News

Accordingly, the K-Humanoid Alliance will focus its activities on five major missions: ▲development of a common AI model for robots ▲development of high-performance humanoid core technologies ▲development of components such as AI semiconductors and batteries for mobility ▲startup and talent cultivation ▲strengthening cooperation between supply and demand companies.

In particular, AI development, which serves as the ‘brain’ of robots, involves research teams from major universities such as Seoul National University AI Institute, KAIST, Korea University, and Yonsei University. The alliance plans to complete a common AI foundation model by 2028 based on data provided by manufacturers and component companies.

On the hardware side, the goal is to develop a high-performance humanoid with a lightweight under 60kg, more than 50 degrees of freedom in joints, a payload of over 20kg, and a movement speed of 2.5m/s. Core components such as force and torque sensors, tactile sensors, and actuators will also be developed independently through cooperation with component companies.

The government will invest 200 billion KRW in robot-related budgets in 2025 and will support the establishment of demonstration environments and the development of simulation systems.

Additionally, efforts will be accelerated in developing high-performance, low-power AI semiconductors and high-density batteries. Related specialized companies such as Rebellion, DeepX (semiconductors), SK On, LG Energy Solution, and Samsung SDI (batteries) have joined the alliance. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy also plans to promote large-scale R&D projects for AI semiconductor development.

Discovering startups and nurturing talent are also key tasks. The ministry is establishing a structure for undergraduates to participate in projects centered on major universities such as Seoul National University and KAIST, and plans to launch a humanoid fund within the year to support promising startups.

Furthermore, collaboration with demand companies that can introduce humanoids in actual manufacturing sites, such as Samsung Display, LG Electronics, Samsung Heavy Industries, CJ Logistics, and POSCO Holdings, will be strengthened. To this end, technology seminars, showcases, and competitions will be held regularly, and joint technology development projects between demand and supply companies will be actively supported through the ‘AI Autonomous Manufacturing Leading Project.’

Minister An said, "Humanoids are a promising industry expected to grow 25-fold over the next decade and are the core of future competitiveness in manufacturing," adding, "Since industry, academia, and research have come together with difficulty, the government will also provide full support."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.