KAIST Wins Bid for "Physical AI Core Technology Demonstration" Pilot Project

KAIST will oversee research for the national project on Physical Artificial Intelligence (AI).

On August 28, KAIST announced that it has been selected, as part of a consortium with North Jeolla Province, Jeonbuk National University, and Sungkyunkwan University, to lead the "Physical AI Core Technology Demonstration" pilot project, which was commissioned by the Ministry of Science and ICT. KAIST will serve as the principal research coordinator for this initiative.

Physical AI refers to advanced AI technology that enables physical devices-such as robots, autonomous vehicles, and factory automation equipment-to understand spatial and temporal concepts and perform tasks independently, without human instructions.

Within this project, KAIST will spearhead research planning under the theme of "Collaborative Intelligence Physical AI," while Jeonbuk National University and North Jeolla Province will conduct joint research based on this framework.

The pilot project will run for five years starting September 1, ahead of the main project. Through this initiative, North Jeolla Province aims to establish a local industrial ecosystem for collaborative intelligence physical AI and transform the region into a "global physical AI hub."

KAIST will focus on developing core research technologies and establishing a testbed to create an advanced research environment, and will also be responsible for promoting the expansion of related industries.

Professor Youngjae Jang. Provided by KAIST

Previously, Professor Youngjae Jang of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (the chief manager of the pilot project) has been leading research on collaborative intelligence physical AI since 2016.

In particular, Professor Jang's "Collaborative Intelligence-Based Smart Manufacturing Innovation Technology" was recognized as one of KAIST's "Top 10 Research Achievements" in 2019.

Collaborative intelligence physical AI is a technology that enables numerous robots and automated devices in factory environments to work together to achieve goals. It serves as a core foundation for realizing "dark factories" (unmanned factories) in semiconductor, secondary battery, and automotive manufacturing sectors.

Professor Jang stated, "Securing this national project is a result of KAIST's recognized expertise in collaborative intelligence physical AI research, both domestically and internationally. This project will serve as a turning point for Korea's manufacturing industry to establish a globally leading 'physical AI manufacturing innovation model.'"

KAIST President Kwang Hyung Lee said, "KAIST is taking the lead not only in academic research but also in the practical industrialization of national strategic technologies. Building on this achievement, we will collaborate with Jeonbuk National University and North Jeolla Province to develop Korea into a global hub for physical AI innovation."

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