NC AI formed a large industry-academia-research consortium to develop Physical AI technology.
NC AI said on the 11th that it is taking part in the project "World foundation model technology development for training Physical AI models," led by the Institute of Information & communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP), and has launched the "K-Physical AI Alliance" consortium.
The consortium includes 15 joint research institutions, including NC AI, large corporations, startups, universities, and government-funded research institutes. With 38 demand-side institutions in manufacturing, logistics, and services added, a total of 53 institutions are participating.
The consortium aims to develop Physical AI technology that applies AI models trained in virtual environments to real industrial sites. It plans to build a World Foundation Model (WFM) and a Robotics Foundation Model (RFM) and run demonstrations across various fields, including manufacturing processes, logistics automation, and service operations.
NC AI will oversee the consortium's AI model development and virtual environment construction, based on 3D generation technology, Reinforcement Learning, and simulation experience accumulated through game development. Participating institutions will divide roles for robot control, physics simulation, data construction, and verification technologies.
Universities and research institutes will handle robot behavior control, physical environment modeling, and data verification technology development, while corporations and local governments will conduct technology demonstrations in actual manufacturing, logistics, and service sites. The consortium plans to increase commercialization potential by feeding data secured during demonstrations back into training.
Lee Yeon-su, head of NC AI, said, "This consortium is an alliance gathered for a single goal, 'global No. 1 in Physical AI,' breaking down the boundaries of corporation size, region, and industry," and added, "We will realize Physical AI that can be used on industrial sites through technology that connects the virtual and the real."