Samsung held a commencement ceremony for the 14th class of the Samsung Software and AI Academy for Youth (SSAFY). Launched in 2018, SSAFY has produced more than 11,000 graduates through the 13th class, of whom 9,396 found jobs. The cumulative employment rate is about 85%.
Samsung held the 14th commencement ceremony on the 30th at the SSAFY Seoul Campus in Gangnam District, Seoul. About 100 people, including Vice Minister Kwon Chang-jun of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), KAIST computer science professor Ryu Seok-young, and Samsung Electronics President Park Seung-hee, head of corporate relations, as well as graduates and their families, attended the event. Graduates from campuses nationwide, including Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, Gumi, and Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam, joined online.
SSAFY is a youth software (SW) and artificial intelligence (AI) education program that Samsung started as part of the "plan to boost the economy and create jobs" released in 2018. Samsung operates the program to enhance young people's job competitiveness and broaden the base of Korea's AI and SW ecosystem.
According to Samsung, SSAFY graduates have been hired by IT, telecommunications, and financial corporations such as Samsung Electronics, Hyundai AutoEver, Lotte Innovate, and BNK Busan Bank. There are also cases of graduates joining robot and Generative AI specialists such as Rainbow Robotics and Golden Planet. The number of corporations where graduates have joined is more than 2,600.
More corporations are giving preference to SSAFY graduates in their hiring processes. Samsung said 185 corporations offer benefits such as waiving application document screening or awarding extra points. The training program is entirely free, and trainees receive a monthly stipend of 1 million won.
Samsung revamped the SSAFY curriculum around AI to align with the industrywide shift to AI. Of the total 1,725 training hours, 1,025 hours, or about 60%, are allocated to AI education. It strengthened both theory and practice, focusing on helping trainees grow into developers with the ability to leverage AI.
Samsung also expanded the training infrastructure. It built an AI server environment equipped with high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs) and provides every trainee with a GPU-based AI development PC. Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are also used in the curriculum.
Trainees developed AI-based services themselves through team projects. The "X-STRIX" team unveiled a security robot based on a vision-language-action (VLA) model that integrates visual information, language understanding, and action control. Targeting unmanned factory security, the robot is equipped with an AI solution that detects fires, intruders, and hazardous objects. The "SPOT GET IT" team developed a quadruped rescue robot for disaster-site searches. It applied physical AI technology that enables the robot to perceive its surroundings, make judgments, and move.
Workplace-ready projects linked with corporations were also carried out. SSAFY trainees collaborated with about 30 corporations to develop AI services based on real on-site tasks. The team linked with MetaLogy implemented the "MoM (Model of Me)" service, which creates a 3D body model from smartphone video. The service performs body-shape measurements and exercise posture analysis on-device without an internet connection.
SSAFY is also expanding cooperation with external corporations. In June, it co-hosted an "AI hackathon" with Kakao. In the "AI fintech idea contest" linked with Woori Bank, ideas were presented for AI-based solutions to prevent financial crimes such as voice phishing.
Partnerships with the financial sector are continuing. In 2023, Samsung signed business agreements with the five major banks—Shinhan, Woori, KB, Hana, and NongHyup—and is cooperating to train developers specialized in finance. The five major banks donated a total of 7.5 billion won to SSAFY over three years, and more than 840 SSAFY graduates have so far been hired by the banking sector.
Vice Minister Kwon Chang-jun said, "At a time when the world is locked in fierce competition over AI, what ultimately decides victory or defeat is people," adding, "The government, including the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), will join forces with corporations to further expand opportunities that support young people's challenges, from K-Digital Training and K-New Deal Academy to the Future Tomorrow work-experience program."
Professor Ryu Seok-young (SSAFY advisory member) said, "Completion is not the end of learning but a new beginning," and added, "I hope you become developers who implement technologies that create a warmer world."
Seo Il-jun, a People Power Party lawmaker, said in a congratulatory video message, "SSAFY, where the private sector takes the lead in opening practical opportunities for young people, is a model case that our society should pay attention to," adding, "We will add support in the National Assembly so this venue for nurturing talent can grow even larger."
President Park Seung-hee said, "AI is no longer a future technology. It is changing the very way we work, and you are the ones who will create new possibilities amid that change," adding, "Face the future boldly, take on challenges, and even fail. Those failures will become the nourishment for success."