Industrial digital twin venture Ian and Korea Electric Power Corporation Engineering & Construction (KEPCO E&C) are launching a joint venture research company. The new entity will develop a virtual facility platform combining digital twin technology and artificial intelligence (AI) specialized for nuclear power plants. The nuclear-specialized digital twin technology is expected to be used in the construction of new nuclear plants in the Czech Republic and the decommissioning of the Kori Nuclear Power Plant.
According to the venture industry on January 17, Ian and KEPCO E&C (052690.KS) recently completed the establishment procedures for their joint venture KI Tech. KI Tech's office has been set up in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, with Ian CEO Lee Seung-ho serving as KI Tech's representative director overseeing overall operations. KI Tech held its launch ceremony at its Daejeon headquarters on the same day, marking the official start of its business. The ceremony was attended by key executives from both companies, including Lee and KEPCO E&C Vice President Kim Sun-kwan.
KI Tech begins operations as a nuclear-specialized digital twin technology research company, reflecting the business characteristics of both Ian and KEPCO E&C. The technology converts nuclear plant facilities into digital data and replicates them in three-dimensional space based on design drawing scans, material data input, and internal plant scans. The digital twin will be used to run virtual work scenarios for various facility maintenance tasks at nuclear plants in virtual space, assessing safety before actual operations.
Additionally, KI Tech will begin developing an AI platform integrated with digital twin technology. The platform will include an AI agent function that provides relevant information when field workers use natural language commands while utilizing the digital twin app for their tasks. "KI Tech's ultimate goal is to create intelligent technology that maximizes operational efficiency and safety in the nuclear power industry," KI Tech CEO Lee explained.
KI Tech was created through KEPCO E&C's research company establishment competition program. KEPCO E&C had previously established two research companies and announced a competition for establishing its third research company in early last year. This third research company establishment project was designed to create a competitive energy industry company by combining KEPCO E&C's expertise with private sector technology.
Ian is an industrial digital twin specialist company founded in 2011. Industrial digital twin technology is essential for simulating work processes such as factory maintenance, safety management, and facility modifications in virtual environments. Demand for digital twin technology has been growing as manufacturers increasingly adopt factory automation, requiring pre-implementation scenario checks before converting existing factories to automated facilities. Global market research firm Grand View Research forecasts the worldwide digital twin market will grow from $25 billion (approximately 37 trillion won) last year to $155.8 billion (approximately 231 trillion won) by 2030.
KEPCO E&C recognized the need for digital twin technology in nuclear plant design and decommissioning work and selected Ian as its partner. Given the high-risk environment inherent in nuclear facility operations, the plan is to ensure safety through simulation stages in virtual space. Precise digital twin technology is essential when constructing high-risk work environments in virtual space, as even a single small component can significantly impact both simulation and actual operations. Ian was selected by KEPCO E&C due to its expertise in applying digital twin technology to client factories, with major corporations including Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display among its customers.
KI Tech's digital twin technology is expected to be deployed in the decommissioning of Kori Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, scheduled to continue until 2037, and the construction of new nuclear plants in the Czech Republic. "In the nuclear power industry, field control technology is critical as it directly relates to large-scale safety incidents," Lee said. "After advancing our nuclear-specialized intelligent solutions, we will expand our business across the broader energy industry."
