Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and NVIDIA will build a strategic joint research framework to study next-generation agentic AI tailored to Korean and domestic industries.
KAIST said on the 24th that it will establish the NVIDIA-KAIST Joint AI Research Lab at the Kim Jae-cheol Graduate School of AI with NVIDIA and begin joint research on core next-generation artificial intelligence technologies in earnest.
The collaboration will proceed over an initial five years with a total value of $300 million (about 420 billion won), providing AI computing resources worth $50 million (about 67.5 billion won) annually. Researchers participating in the joint lab will be able to use the latest NVIDIA AI computing infrastructure through domestic NVIDIA Cloud Partners.
Through this collaboration, KAIST and NVIDIA plan to jointly develop agentic AI models and AI agent systems tailored to Korean and domestic industries, and establish a long-term research cooperation framework to secure foundational AI technologies for Korea, cultivate global talent, and strengthen industrial competitiveness. The two institutions plan to combine NVIDIA's full-stack AI technology, the NVIDIA Nemotron open model, and the computing infrastructure of domestic NVIDIA Cloud Partners with KAIST's world-class research personnel.
The joint lab will support at least 10 KAIST researchers each year and offer each supported researcher an NVIDIA internship opportunity. NVIDIA also plans to hire outstanding Korean AI researchers as full-time research staff. Through this, Korea's top AI talent will be able to take on challenging research, build long-term research careers, and lay the groundwork to further strengthen global collaboration between academia and industry.
Hyunwoo Kim of NVIDIA, who will join the KAIST Kim Jae-cheol Graduate School of AI next month, is slated to serve as co-director of the joint lab. Professor Kim will set the research direction of the joint lab and oversee joint research between KAIST researchers and NVIDIA's global research organization. Hyunwoo Kim, who is set to join the KAIST Kim Jae-cheol Graduate School of AI as a professor and take on the role of joint lab director, said, "AI research is entering a new era that requires global talent, large-scale infrastructure, and close collaboration between academia and industry," and added, "Together with NVIDIA, we will pursue challenging research so that Korea can attract world-class AI scientists and help them settle in the long term, and we will build sustained cooperative relationships with global research organizations."
Jung Song, dean of the KAIST Kim Jae-cheol Graduate School of AI, said, "This joint lab is a new industry-academia collaboration model that combines world-class research talent, AI infrastructure, and the research capabilities of global corporations," and added, "We will develop foundational agentic AI technologies tailored to Korean and domestic industries and create an ecosystem in which outstanding researchers can conduct world-class research in Korea."
Bill Dally, NVIDIA's chief scientist and senior vice president for research, said, "Korea is home to world-class AI researchers and one of the most advanced technology ecosystems in the world," and added, "The NVIDIA-KAIST Joint Research Lab will accelerate the development of AI models and agent systems for Korea's industries and language, and will serve as a foundation for pioneering next-generation AI research."
KAIST President Bae Choong-sik said, "This collaboration is the starting point of a strategic partnership that combines world-leading AI research capabilities with state-of-the-art AI infrastructure," and added, "We will build a global AI research hub representing the Republic of Korea and take the lead in securing next-generation foundational AI technologies and cultivating world-class AI talent."