Korea's medical imaging storage and transmission system (PACS) corporation Taeyoung Soft has embarked on the development of medical imaging artificial intelligence (AI) with the support of the G-Valley Medical Device Development Support Center (GMSC). GMSC helped AI development by providing graphics processing unit (GPU) servers and medical data that corporations find difficult to secure directly. This is expected to mark the beginning of enhancing the competitiveness of domestic corporations in the PACS market dominated by foreign companies.
Na Seungho, CEO of Taeyoung Soft, met with Chosun Biz at the company's headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on 11th, stating, "Small and medium-sized corporations have no choice but to fall behind in the market if they do not continue developing new technologies," and added, "Our goal is to enhance competitiveness through the introduction of AI technology and to venture into overseas markets without remaining solely in the domestic market."
Established in 2005, Taeyoung Soft will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. The company's flagship product, PACS, is a platform (core technology) for digitally managing medical imaging data such as X-rays and ultrasounds. It is thanks to PACS that X-ray images taken in hospitals can be viewed on computers without being printed on film. Taeyoung Soft has gained recognition for its stability and efficiency by implementing the PACS system 'ZeTTA PACS' in major domestic medical institutions, including Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and Yonsei Medical Center.
Taeyoung Soft began full-scale development of medical imaging AI in 2022. The intention was to develop image analysis AI that can be linked with PACS to enhance market competitiveness. However, developing AI requires expensive GPUs and high-quality medical data, making it a challenging endeavor for small and medium-sized enterprises.
That same year, Taeyoung Soft accelerated its research by being selected for GMSC's infrastructure support and medical data support project. GMSC is a project launched by the Seoul Advanced Industry Division in 2021 to support medical device corporations based in Seoul.
With the support of GMSC, Taeyoung Soft established a learning environment linking cloud (virtual server) and its own servers, and also received sample data necessary for AI training. The company also created its own mirroring system, allowing it to continue research in the event of hacking attacks and shutdowns of the cloud server. Jeong Jeongun, Director General overseeing AI development at Taeyoung Soft, noted, "This project was a great help in establishing a validated AI research system."
Taeyoung Soft is developing AI to analyze hypertrophy and is preparing for clinical trials at Korea University Medical Center. To diagnose hypertrophy, which involves an abnormal enlargement of the heart, experts previously had to manually check ultrasound or X-ray images and measure the heart's size. While AI tools to assist medical personnel in image diagnosis have already been developed, they are structured as separate systems from PACS, creating limitations when transferring diagnostic locations. Taeyoung Soft is expected to contribute to increasing the efficiency of medical personnel and the quality of patient care by integrating AI functions into PACS.
Na stated, "Taeyoung Soft is a PACS corporation, but we can enhance our market competitiveness by linking diagnostic support AI," and added, "Based on the AI we have developed, we will evolve PACS into a medical imaging platform, strengthening cooperation with other medical imaging AI corporations." He also expressed a hope that this project would become a success story for small and medium-sized enterprises challenging AI research, contributing to the development of the domestic medical industry while allowing the corporation to continue growing.