In the field of physical artificial intelligence (AI), which has emerged as a core of future industries, there is an urgent call for a government-led national strategy and ecosystem development to seize global technological hegemony. While massive government support underpins Chinese corporations and U.S. big tech like Tesla leading the market, concerns are raised that the domestic robotics industry is highly dependent on key components from China, and government support measures are fragmented, failing to create synergy.
During the seminar titled 'Humanoid Robots in the Era of Physical AI' hosted by the National Assembly AI Forum on the 2nd at the National Assembly Member's Hall in Yeouido, Kim Byung-soo, CEO of ROBOTIS, noted, "In a recent internal meeting, we reviewed over 20 key robotic components, and all but one were Chinese products," emphasizing the need to grow the component ecosystem. ROBOTIS is a company that develops and produces actuators, which are key drive components for robots, and has maintained a collaborative relationship with its second-largest shareholder, LG Electronics. The technological prowess of components that enable precise movements in robots is a major foundation of the physical AI market, but Kim's assessment indicates that Chinese companies are rapidly dominating this area.
Heo Jeong-woo, a director at Rainbow Robotics, in which Samsung Electronics is the largest shareholder, also remarked, "No matter how many humanoid robots are created, if all the components are made in China, we cannot win in price competition." He added, "Domestic robotics corporations need to consciously increase the use of domestic components to develop the component ecosystem as well." Rainbow Robotics is regarded as the first company to commercialize humanoid robots in Korea.
Industry experts unanimously stated that the competitiveness of physical AI is closely tied to national sovereignty, making governmental policy support essential. Han Jae-gwon, CTO of Airobot and a professor in robotics at Hanyang University, said, "If Chinese robots dominate the market, there is a risk that data from domestic core industries, such as high-value shipbuilding technology, could transfer to China," adding, "It is important to grow the domestic robot industry for national sovereignty as well."
Han, the CTO, compared, "If AI is the highway, robots are like the cars running on it," and noted, "The infrastructure for learning data centers based on graphics processing units (GPUs), where cars will run, is something that corporations find difficult to handle individually, so the government needs to step in to build it." CEO Kim Byung-soo also remarked, "Humanoids are a field that is difficult to generate immediate revenue, so without the government stepping in, it will be challenging for companies to drive it alone."
It is a common opinion in the industry that if government support is provided, opportunities will arise for Korean corporations as well. The CTO mentioned, "The core of physical AI is the robot's 'behavior data,' and this data is abundant in Korea's manufacturing-intensive industrial sites," asserting, "While China focuses on events targeting the public, we must concentrate on creating tangible value in industrial sites." He continued, "Although no humanoid robots have yet been introduced in industrial environments, by 2030, the results of the AI humanoid robot competition are expected to become clear," stating, "By the late 2020s, Korean-made robots need to enter industrial sites in order to compete with companies from China and the U.S."