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Korean AI robotics companies move to Silicon Valley amid concerns over research environment at home

Published: 18 Sep. 2025, 11:33 Updated: 21 Oct. 2025, 16:39

A robot under development by LG CNS [LG CNS]

Korean companies betting on AI robots as a future growth engine are shifting their research bases to Silicon Valley, where top-tier talent is concentrated. Industry observers say the government’s stated goal of becoming the global leader in “physical AI” will require first creating an environment where skilled researchers can thrive.

Last month, Samsung Research America in Mountain View, California, hired Kris Hauser, a professor of computer and data science at the University of Illinois, to head its Robot Intelligence Lab. Hauser, who has received awards including Best Paper Award at the IEEE International Conference on Humanoid Robots and a U.S. National Science Foundation Career Award, will oversee development of Samsung’s “robot brain,” focusing on areas such as robot-based language models, vision-language models, imitation learning and sensor innovation.

Samsung Electronics has launched a range of robotic products, including Bot Fit and Ballie, but none have made a significant commercial impact. The recruitment is seen as a bid to raise its R&D capabilities to the next level.

Other Korean firms have also bolstered their robotics research presence in Silicon Valley. LG CNS established an AI and robotics R&D center in San Jose last month, while LG Electronics acquired Silicon Valley robotics startup Bear Robotics earlier this year. Hyundai Motor operates its open innovation center, Hyundai Cradle, in Mountain View, with a focus on robotics and other emerging technologies.

Talent magnet

The main draw is talent. With universities like Stanford and UC Berkeley and tech giants such as Google, Tesla and Nvidia clustered in the region, Silicon Valley is evolving from an IT hub into a center for AI robotics innovation. Figure AI, a startup that recently gained viral attention with its dishwashing robot, is also based there.

A researcher at Samsung Research America [SAMSUNG RESEARCH AMERICA]

Kris Hauser, recently recruited as the Head of Robotic Intelligence at Samsung Research America [SCREEN CAPTURE]

“The bottleneck in AI robot research has long been software, but recent advances are rapidly addressing this,” said Lee Kyoo-bin, professor of AI convergence at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST). “Companies are partnering with top universities and competing to secure talent in response.”

The growing demand for AI robotics talent led the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra) to host its first Career Connect event in June, linking companies with local experts. LG Electronics was among the participants.

“There was strong demand from both companies and candidates in hardware and software engineering,” said an official from Kotra's Silicon Valley office. “Given the positive reception, we are preparing another recruitment event in October focused on AI talent.”

Korea’s limits

The shortage of AI robotics experts in Korea is well recognized by the government, which included attracting overseas talent in its recently announced economic growth strategy. But incentives remain weak. Critics argue that Korea lacks the research environment necessary to retain world-class experts.

“In Silicon Valley, researchers can freely pursue areas like autonomous driving, but in Korea, the constraints are much tighter,” said Choi Jae-boong, a professor of mechanical engineering at Sungkyunkwan University. “Even if you bring top talent with generous salaries, the quality of research they can do here is limited.”

A robot developed by Bear Robotics, acquired by LG Electronics [BEAR ROBOTS]

Sheal Eum, CEO of AeiROBOT, agreed: “Even if someone wants to keep researching, the 52-hour workweek means they have to leave at 6 p.m. We once tried to recruit talent from overseas, but they refused, saying, ‘I can’t work in an environment where research hours are regulated, especially when not finishing a project keeps me up at night.’”

The government plans to invest 6 trillion won ($4.3 billion) over the next five years in physical AI, starting with 500 billion won next year. AI robotics is also included in the target industries for the 150 trillion won national growth fund.

“For technology industries to grow, the key is nurturing and supporting talent,” said Lee of GIST. “We need to create an environment where top experts can pursue their research without restrictions.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK HAE-LEE [[email protected]]