"AI Sees and Acts on Its Own"... Government to Foster Physical AI Devices

Ministry of Science and ICT Invites Applications for Three New AX Device Projects

Two Projects to Focus on Physical AI

Expansion of AI-Embedded Devices in Robotics, Smart Devices, and Industrial Sites

"Aiming to Lead the AI-Integrated

With artificial intelligence (AI) advancing beyond simply carrying out human commands to autonomously perceiving and interacting with its surroundings, the era of 'physical AI' has begun. In response, the government is moving to foster the next generation of smart devices equipped with this technology. The strategy is to actively support the spread of 'AI transformation (AX) devices'—robots, industrial equipment, and consumer products with embedded AI—so that citizens can directly experience the benefits in their daily lives.

The Ministry of Science and ICT has announced that it will accept applications until June 5 for the selection of three new project operators for the 'AX Device Development and Demonstration' program.

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AX devices are devices that run AI models directly using an embedded neural processing unit (NPU). They can provide real-time services and personalized features without a cloud connection and are characterized by high power efficiency.

In particular, as AI technology evolves into physical AI—technology that understands and acts within the physical world—the role of AX devices is rapidly expanding. Physical AI refers to AI that can judge surrounding situations and perform real-world actions based on data from cameras, sensors, and language information.

This year, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to designate two out of the three new projects specifically for the physical AI field, focusing on nurturing cases where related technologies are applied. The goal is to discover innovative devices that can be used in industrial and everyday environments, utilizing models such as those based on Vision-Language-Action (VLA) frameworks.

VLA is a next-generation physical AI model that enables AI to determine actions after jointly understanding visual and linguistic information. Unlike previous generative AI, which was limited to generating simple responses, VLA connects directly to device control and physical task execution.

The remaining project will target AX devices designed to address social issues in areas such as public services, daily life, and safety.

Companies selected for this round will receive support for two years in collaboration with technology providers specializing in neural processing units (NPU) and AI models. The government will offer integrated support throughout the entire process, including device design and optimization, technology validation, prototype production, field trials, and commercialization.

The Ministry of Science and ICT has been promoting this initiative since last year, and currently six projects—including smart helmets, drone mission cameras, AI barista water purifiers, smart glasses, poultry management robots, and commercial cleaning robots—are in the prototype development stage. Starting this year, the ministry plans to validate their performance and market potential through on-site demonstrations.

Park Taewan, Director General for ICT Industry Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "This project will serve as a catalyst for Korea to lead the AX device market by combining the country's manufacturing capabilities with world-class AI technology. We will focus on fostering innovative devices integrated with physical AI to improve convenience in daily life and industrial sites, and to enhance global competitiveness."

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