Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. joined the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' "Challenge for All AX" to support Korea's artificial intelligence (AI) startups, kicking off full-fledged collaboration.
Qualcomm attended the "Challenge for All AX" kick-off day held on the 1st at Conrad Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul, and announced concrete collaboration projects with promising domestic startups. The event drew Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Qualcomm Korea President Kim Sang-pyo, and a large number of officials from major corporations and startups.
"Challenge for All AX" is a program designed to combine startups' innovative technologies with products and models owned by global conglomerates and, through proof of concept (PoC), support commercialization and secure sales channels. This challenge is divided into vertical and LLM (large language model) tracks, with Qualcomm and LG Electronics named as demand corporations in the vertical track.
Qualcomm matched its domestic collaboration corporations—Yujung System, PNC Solution, and XSLAB Incorporation—with startups on a one-to-one basis. Focusing on diverse industrial areas such as AR glasses, robots, and on-premise appliances, they will carry out vertical projects including: joint development of robot control and AMR (autonomous mobile robot) solutions using boards based on the Qualcomm DragonWing processor; development of on-device voice and object recognition models for wearable devices; and development of AI on-premise appliance service infrastructure based on Qualcomm NPU accelerator cards. The plan is to support the advancement and commercialization of AI technologies that can be immediately applied in real industrial settings.
Startups ultimately selected will receive PoC planning support and up to 100 million won in commercialization funds per corporation. They will also receive multifaceted benefits, including matching with on-site departments, technical development cooperation, and support for global expansion. By rapidly validating AI technologies that can be applied to devices and platforms, startups are expected to enhance their prospects for market entry and growth.
Previously, in 2025, Qualcomm also carried out the "Vertical AI Super-gap Challenge" with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), supporting the creation of an on-device AI development environment for domestic AI startups and expanding industrial adoption. This collaboration, likewise, aims to broaden touchpoints with promising domestic startups and continue backing the development of AI solutions with high utility in industrial settings.
Qualcomm Korea President Kim Sang-pyo said, "Last year, Qualcomm acquired Arduino, Edge Impulse, and Augmentix, and by combining the expanded industrial and embedded IoT portfolio with a powerful developer ecosystem, we are presenting a comprehensive new approach to AI, Edge Computing, and Robotics," adding, "As this year's vertical challenge is also focused on this, we look forward to discovering innovative new products and services."