The government has embarked on building a humanoid industry ecosystem with the goal of becoming the 'strongest humanoid country' by 2030. The government plans to establish the 'K Humanoid Alliance' to maximize synergy by pooling the strengths and capabilities of industry, academia, and research.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 10th that it held a launch ceremony for the 'K-Humanoid Alliance.' Experts from 40 corporations and schools, including Rainbow Robotics, Airobot, Korea University, and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), gathered to form the alliance.
Humanoids are robots that think and act like humans based on artificial intelligence (AI). According to the Ministry, the scale of the humanoid industry is expected to grow from $1.5 billion this year to $38 billion by 2035.
However, the scale of investment and manpower in Korea's humanoid sector is absolutely lacking compared to the United States and China. Currently, major U.S. tech companies such as Tesla, Figure AI, Amazon, Microsoft (MS), and NVIDIA are investing astronomical amounts, while Chinese companies like Unitree and Ubtech are rapidly growing under government support.
The government believes that consolidating the capabilities of the humanoid ecosystem is necessary to catch up with global tech giants and decided to organize the K-Humanoid Alliance. The K-Humanoid Alliance, launched on this day, includes over 40 institutions from industry, academia, and research. Experts from universities such as Korea University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Pohang University of Science and Technology, Yonsei University, and companies including Rainbow Robotics, Airobot, and Holiday Robotics are participating.
Experts will divide according to their respective areas of expertise to carry out key tasks. First, AI specialist groups from Seoul National University, KAIST, and Korea University will develop 'robot AI,' which serves as the brain of the robots, by 2028. The goal is to develop a 'robot AI foundation model' by 2028.
Robot manufacturers and parts corporations will focus on intensive investment in research and development for humanoid hardware (HW). They will also develop core components such as power and torque sensors that allow for precise object manipulation, tactile sensors that implement hand sensations, and lightweight yet flexible actuators.
Semiconductor corporations such as Rebellion and DEEPX will develop high-performance semiconductors that consume less power. Battery corporations SK On, LG Energy Solution, and Samsung SDI plan to develop batteries with high density and long lifespans.
The Ministry will comprehensively support the technology development of corporations using budgets for robot research and development (R&D), infrastructure, and demonstration. They plan to prioritize support for technology development collaboration projects involving two or more corporations within the alliance. The Ministry plans to continue discussions with related departments and the National Assembly to increase the current budget of 200 billion won. Moreover, the Ministry will actively support promising research institutes and startups to include them in the alliance, fostering their startup and investment acquisition. To this end, they plan to launch a humanoid fund within the year.
Minister Ahn Duk-geun noted, "Humanoids are a promising industry expected to grow 25 times in the next decade," and added, "As this is directly related to the future competitiveness of our manufacturing industry, we must enter the global competition as soon as possible." He also expressed his determination, stating, "Since industry, academia, and research have come together after great difficulty, I will do my best to support the K-Humanoid Alliance."