POSCO Group is accelerating its group-wide artificial intelligence transformation (AX) with an investment in Brils, a company specializing in robotic automation solutions. The investment totals 7 billion won ($5.1 million), comprising 5 billion won from the POSCO Holdings strategic fund and 2 billion won from the POSCO corporate venture capital (CVC) fund.
Founded in 2015, Brils is a leading Korean system integration (SI) firm specializing in automation solutions with approximately 110 related patents. The company has earned recognition for applying automation solutions at production sites of major corporations including Hyundai Motor and SK Ecoplant, and is pursuing a KOSDAQ listing within the year based on its growth trajectory.
POSCO Group plans to combine its manufacturing experience and technical know-how with Brils' robot design and control capabilities to jointly develop automated operating systems that go beyond simple robot production. The goal is to build an intelligent autonomous manufacturing process — a so-called "intelligent factory" — based on collaboration among humans, AI and robots. The group will prioritize deploying customized robots in manual processes that involve high labor intensity or significant accident risks, aiming to secure both safety and productivity.
Even before this investment, POSCO Group had been nurturing robotics startups through its venture funds and POSCO Technology Investment. The group has invested a total of 19 billion won in promising companies including quadruped robot developer Aidin Robotics, robot hand specialist Tesolo, collaborative robot maker Neuromeka and industrial humanoid robot firm Persona AI. It also committed an additional 3 billion won to AI semiconductor startup Mobilint.
POSCO Group plans to continue expanding the adoption of robot- and AI-based autonomous processes to spread the intelligent factory model across its manufacturing sites and further accelerate AI transformation across the entire group.
POSCO Group Chairman Jang In-hwa said at a "CEO Empathy Talk" employee communication event held earlier this year, "AI is now a social infrastructure. Because employees' familiarity with AI is key to adopting autonomous processes, we will expand participation in various programs and educational opportunities to enhance AI capabilities."