As extended reality (XR) technology draws attention across industries ranging from manufacturing, healthcare and education to retail and defense, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is developing the Seoul XR Center as a strategic base to support the growth of young talent and companies entering the field. With the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and XR in full swing and competition intensifying over future industrial bases, Seoul is accelerating its moves to seize leadership in the sector.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited the Seoul XR Center inside the DMC Industry-Academic Cooperation Research Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 9th, reviewing directions for cultivating future-technology talent and developing the industrial ecosystem. The Seoul XR Center is a core piece of city infrastructure that supports XR content and service development, demonstration, testing and commercialization in one place, and it expanded and relocated to its current site earlier this year. The center is equipped with various facilities, including high-performance development equipment, demonstration and evaluation rooms, an XR open lab, a user lab and a testbed.
Oh spent time hearing on-site voices from about 50 people, including 40 young people participating in AI-XR training courses and 10 officials from XR companies. Jung Hae-hyun, CEO of Newzak, which produces immersive XR content, media facades and virtual studios for various fields such as exhibitions, performances and advertising, said, "With Seoul's support, we were able to participate in overseas exhibitions, meet global buyers directly and expand our sales channels." He added, "Since overseas exhibitions serve as a turning point for growth for early-stage startups, we hope Seoul will further expand its support for participation in global exhibitions and roadshows."
Park Sang-soo, team leader at Innosimulation, which develops and supplies smart mobility simulators and XR-based virtual training systems, said, "In defense, automobiles and manufacturing, XR is becoming a key tool for verifying the safety of 'Physical AI.'" He said, "We need bases where companies, universities and research institutes can conduct research and demonstration together, along with public support for business linkages."
Recently, XR technology has combined with generative AI and is rapidly spreading throughout industrial sites. The approach involves AI automatically generating content such as text, images and 3D models, while XR realizes it in a lifelike manner for application in various fields, including manufacturing, defense simulation, medical training, immersive learning and entertainment. In particular, in the manufacturing, plant, defense and disaster fields, where it is difficult to actually reproduce hazardous environments, XR-based virtual training and verification systems are emerging as technologies that pursue both safety and cost reduction.
Amid this trend, Seoul is reorganizing the Seoul XR Center, which expanded and relocated this year, into a base that supports the entire cycle of the AI-XR industry. Companies here can receive continuous support from idea discovery to prototype production, demonstration and certification, and commercialization. The city also operates AI-XR education programs for young people, offering basic and advanced education, project-based practice and company-linked capstone courses. Graduates receive support to enter actual work sites through internships or hiring opportunities at resident companies. Seoul plans to expand programs for participation in domestic and overseas exhibitions, buyer matching and global market entry, growing the Seoul XR Center into an AI-XR industry hub where young people and companies grow together.
Oh stressed, "Seoul will serve as a solid stepping stone so that young people can experiment with technology without fear of failure, and so that experience can lead to entrepreneurship and employment." He added, "We will grow the Seoul XR Center into a core platform connecting technology, talent and markets to help promising companies cross the 'valley of death,' and cultivate Sangam DMC as a global base for the AI-XR convergence industry."
Meanwhile, Oh has continued his efforts to nurture young AI talent and foster future industries since the launch of his ninth popularly elected term. Early this month, he announced the 'Youth AI Ladder' policy, saying the city would support vouchers so that any young person can use the latest generative AI regardless of economic circumstances, and provide AI learning spaces and customized education programs.
In his inaugural address for the ninth popularly elected term, Oh also put forward "a Seoul where young people can dream again," saying he would push for a "youth AI basic right" so that anyone can learn and use future technology in the AI era.
