NC AI announced on the 11th that it has formed the "K-Physical AI Alliance" consortium to execute the "World Foundation Model Technology Development for Physical AI Model Training" project supervised by the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP).
The consortium, comprising 53 institutions, aims to develop a "World Foundation Model (WFM)" and "Robotics Foundation Model (RFM)" that enable robots to understand and act in the real world. The alliance combines NC AI's world model with RLWRLD and Seemes' robot foundation models, FunctionBay's simulation technology, Rainbow Robotics' robotics engineering, and Samsung SDS's field infrastructure.
The consortium plans to train its AI models and simulators using vast data generated from domestic manufacturing sites, creating Korean-style physical AI as the brain of skilled robots. The goal is to enter global markets with proprietary AI solutions.
NC AI will leverage reinforcement learning expertise developed through its 3D generative model "Varco 3D" and AI training involving interactions with millions of users in MMORPG environments such as Lineage and Aion 2. Research teams from KAIST, Seoul National University, Korea University, and GIST will also participate in joint technology research.
Major Korean conglomerates including Samsung SDS, Lotte Innovate, Posco DX, and Hanwha Ocean joined the consortium, expecting solutions to challenges scattered across their manufacturing and logistics operations. Local governments from four major regions—Jeonbuk, Gyeongnam, Gwangju, and Daegu—also joined as demand agencies, seeking to address labor shortages in regional key industries and drive manufacturing innovation. Upstage, which previously collaborated with NC AI as part of an elite proprietary AI foundation model team, submitted a letter of intent expressing interest in cooperation on physical AI and world models.
"This consortium is an unprecedented alliance that transcends company size, regional, and industrial boundaries, united under the single goal of becoming the global leader in physical AI," said Lee Yeon-su, CEO of NC AI. "We will meet the overwhelming technological capabilities of participating companies and the industry's high expectations by laying the cornerstone for a new century of Korean industry with unparalleled AI technology that bridges the virtual and real worlds."