Domestic artificial intelligence (AI) specialist NC AI is joining hands with the Army Artificial Intelligence Center to drive defense AI innovation.
NC AI said on the 31st that it signed a "business agreement for mutual cooperation and exchange" at the Army Artificial Intelligence Center in South Chungcheong Province on the 30th. The signing ceremony was attended by Kim Geun-gyo, head of global business at NC AI, and Kim Sung-suk, head of the Army Artificial Intelligence Center, along with officials from both sides.
The agreement was pursued to foster the defense AI ecosystem by strengthening military-civilian cooperation, with the goal of building an AI-based, advanced science and technology elite force. In particular, the Army's ongoing "2040 manned-unmanned teaming combat system" vision combined with NC AI's cutting-edge capabilities is expected to mark a new turning point in AI innovation in the defense sector.
Through this agreement, the two institutions will establish a comprehensive cooperation framework that includes ▲joint development of AI prototypes ▲training of specialists ▲expanded technology exchanges. NC AI will be responsible for developing prototypes and providing training to strengthen the Army's AI capabilities, while the Army Artificial Intelligence Center will provide a testbed for AI research and technology application, creating a mutually complementary cooperation structure.
The core of this agreement is to build an "open collaboration" model that goes beyond simple technology transfer to jointly develop AI technologies tailored to the military's characteristics and to operate a standing exchange framework.
Building on 14 years of accumulated AI expertise, NC AI has secured a wide range of technologies, including content-generation AI, multimodal AI, and physical AI. Its in-house multimodal models Varco Vision 2.0 and Varco 3D can analyze text, images, and video simultaneously, and are regarded as core technologies for integrated defense surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike systems. It is also expected to contribute to building AI-based autonomous operation systems through its capabilities in automatic 3D model generation and Digital Twin implementation.
Aiming to complete an AI-based manned-unmanned teaming combat system, the Army is pursuing sovereign AI (autonomous artificial intelligence) development in parallel with civil-military cooperation, and this agreement is seen as a key pillar of that strategy.
Kim Geun-gyo, head of global business at NC AI, said, "Through cooperation with the Army Artificial Intelligence Center, we will open a new chapter in defense AI innovation in the Republic of Korea," adding, "By combining NC AI's cutting-edge technology with the Army's field experience, we will build a sovereign defense AI system."
Kim Sung-suk, head of the Army Artificial Intelligence Center, said, "We will use this agreement as a driving force to accelerate the Army's AX (AI transformation) and help realize an elite Army based on advanced science and technology."