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NC AI forms consortium for physical AI model project

Published: 11 Feb. 2026, 15:29

The key participants of the company-led consortium for a public project to develop physical AI models as seen in this undated image provided by NC AI. [YONHAP]

NC AI, an AI affiliate of game giant NCSoft, said Wednesday it has formed a consortium of 53 companies and research institutes to pursue a public project to develop foundation models for physical AI.

The consortium plans to bid for a project led by the state-run Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation to develop foundation models for incorporating AI into robotics, according to the company.

Key participants include Samsung SDS, the information technology (IT) service arm of Samsung Group; Rainbow Robotics, Samsung Electronics' humanoid robot affiliate; and CMES, an AI robotics startup, along with major universities such as KAIST and Seoul National University.

NC AI said the consortium will combine its AI models with participating companies' robotics technologies and AI infrastructure service capabilities.

"The consortium aims to develop physical AI that links the virtual and real worlds and establish national infrastructure for South Korea's sovereign AI," NC AI said.

NC AI previously failed to advance to the second round of a government-led program to develop homegrown AI foundation models.

Yonhap