As the global race to develop humanoids intensifies, South Korea has launched a national “dream team” with the ambition to become a global leader by 2030.
On June 10, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) held a launch ceremony for the “K-Humanoid Alliance” with over 350 attendees, including Minister Ahn Duk-geun and Seoul National University President Yoo Hong-lim. Around 40 of Korea’s leading companies, universities, and research institutions signed an agreement to cooperate in this effort. The alliance aims to attract more than KRW 1 trillion in investment by 2030.
Many AI experts predict that after the era of generative AI, the era of physical AI will soon arrive—hence the attention humanoids are receiving from global big tech companies. U.S. giants like Tesla, Figure AI, Amazon, Microsoft, and NVIDIA are investing astronomical amounts into this field.
Chinese startups such as Unitree and UBTech, with strong government support, are also rising rapidly. While Korea has shown technical promise in international competitions, it still lacks the scale of investment and human resources compared to the U.S. and China.
Korean universities like Seoul National, Busan National, and Hanyang University placed 2nd and 3rd in the 2024 RoboCup, proving their technological prowess. However, over the past five years, South Korea has filed only 368 robot-related patents, far behind China (5,688), the U.S. (1,483), and Japan (1,195).
Industry experts emphasize that catching up with big tech will require comprehensive national support and ecosystem-wide collaboration. With this alliance, the government plans to expand support and maximize synergy among academia, industry, and research sectors.
With the goal of becoming a global powerhouse in robot AI, nearly 40 of Korea’s top companies and universities have joined the K-Humanoid Alliance in large numbers. The participating institutions have formed six specialized groups according to their fields of expertise: ▲AI development ▲Robot manufacturers ▲Robot component suppliers ▲Robot demand companies ▲University talent alliance ▲Researchers and experts. A general committee composed of representatives from each specialized group will be responsible for strengthening cooperation among members and coordinating opinions.
First, in the AI development group, a dream team has been formed, consisting of top authorities in robot AI, centered around Jang Byung-tak, Director of the Seoul National University AI Research Institute, and Lee Seung-jun, a professor at Pusan National University. The team also includes Professor Park Jae-heung of Seoul National University, Professor Park Dae-hyung of KAIST, Professor Choi Sung-joon of Korea University, Professor Lee Young-woon of Yonsei University, Professor Cho Min-soo of POSTECH, Professor Lee Kyu-bin of Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, and Professor Nam Chang-joo of Sogang University.
In the robot manufacturer group, all of Korea’s leading humanoid companies are participating. Participants include Rainbow Robotics, founded by the research team that developed Korea’s first humanoid “HUBO” and recently incorporated as a Samsung Electronics subsidiary; Arobot, with over 15 years of experience in humanoid R&D; and Holiday Robotics, founded by CEO Song Ki-young, who developed an AI vision inspection solution and sold it to a U.S. company for $200 million.
In addition, Wonik Robotics, currently developing a tactile-sensing robotic arm in collaboration with Meta in the U.S.; With Robotics, founded by Kim Yong-jae, developer of NAVER’s dual-arm robot Ambidex; and Blue Robin, founded by Professor Park Jae-heung of Seoul National University who has achieved outstanding results in various international challenges, are also key members.
Others such as Rovros, Angel Robotics, and Neuromeka have also been recognized for their excellent technological capabilities and potential and have become members of the alliance. Doosan Robotics and LG Electronics, which have recently entered the humanoid business in earnest, also plan to contribute to the development of the domestic ecosystem. HD Hyundai Robotics has joined the alliance to integrate artificial intelligence into industrial robots.
The robot component suppliers include SK On, LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, Rebellions, DeepX, Tesollo, Aidin Robotics, Robotis, Faraday Dynamics, Komotek, and SBB Tech.
The robot demand companies include Samsung Display, LG Electronics, HD Hyundai Mipo, Samsung Heavy Industries, CJ Logistics, POSCO E&C, and POSCO Holdings.
The most important mission and first task of the alliance is to develop robot AI, which serves as the brain of the robot. The AI specialist group plans to develop a robot AI foundation model by 2028 that can be jointly used by the robot manufacturer group.
Since many humanoid companies possess core competencies in hardware (HW), collaboration between companies developing AI and software (SW) and humanoid companies is a global trend. For the same reason, numerous robot companies are lining up to collaborate on NVIDIA’s robot development platform (COSMOS) announced at CES 2025, and humanoid companies such as Apptronik in the U.S. and UBTech in China are cooperating with AI big tech firms like Google and Baidu.
Our own robot AI model will be developed collaboratively by Korea’s top AI researchers, led by the AI Research Institute at Seoul National University and including KAIST, Korea University, Yonsei University, and others. Companies belonging to the robot manufacturer and component supplier groups will continuously provide AI researchers with their own developed robots, behavioral data, and feedback after integrating AI into robots, thus participating in the development of the robot AI foundation model.
Robot manufacturers and component companies will focus their R&D investments on developing humanoid hardware with the world’s highest specifications. Robot manufacturers plan to produce high-spec robots by 2028 through either independent development or collaborative projects, with characteristics such as light weight (under 60kg), high degrees of freedom (over 50), high payload capacity (over 20kg), and fast movement speed (over 2.5m/s).
Core components such as sensors and actuators will also be developed. Force-torque sensors capable of precise object manipulation, tactile sensors that replicate the sense of touch, and lightweight yet flexible actuators (motor + controller + reducer) will be jointly developed by robot manufacturers and component companies.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) will fully support the companies’ technological development by utilizing budgets related to robot R&D, infrastructure, and testing. In particular, priority support will be given to collaborative technology development projects between two or more companies within the alliance. The ministry’s 2025 budget for robots is around KRW 200 billion, and it plans to continue discussions with related ministries and the National Assembly for further budget increases.
Additionally, shared infrastructure usable by robot manufacturers during the humanoid development process will be established and provided. This infrastructure will include real-world testing spaces similar to actual industrial environments, and virtual simulators based on visual and tactile data. A Korean-style COSMOS (NVIDIA simulator) is planned to be built, and this project will begin within the first half of this year.
The third major task of the alliance is the development of semiconductors and batteries for humanoid robots. These robots require high-performance, low-power on-device AI semiconductors and high-density, long-life, high-safety batteries. Overseas, development efforts are also ramping up. TSMC has reportedly discussed semiconductor cooperation for humanoids with Tesla, and CATL has announced its plan to develop batteries for humanoid robots.
Within the alliance, industry-leading companies such as Rebellions and DEEPX (semiconductors), and the three major battery companies (SK On, LG Energy Solution, and Samsung SDI) are participating to explore collaboration with humanoid robotics companies for joint technology development. In particular, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) plans to launch a large-scale R&D project for the development of on-device AI semiconductors. Taking the launch of the alliance as a turning point, the ministry will promote not only robotics but also AI, AI semiconductors, batteries, and AI computing as strategic growth industries.
MOTIE will also foster high-potential startups and talent through the alliance. Just as the key figures behind the recent “DeepSeek shock” were young professionals in their 20s and early 30s, the ministry believes that outstanding human resources are the driving force for the humanoid industry. Accordingly, the ministry will continue to discover and bring promising research labs and startups into the alliance, and actively support their founding efforts and investment attraction.
To this end, a dedicated humanoid fund is planned for launch within the year. Additionally, around 20 major universities in Korea, including Seoul National University and KAIST, will participate in the alliance to give undergraduate students direct and indirect opportunities to engage in key alliance projects, thereby nurturing the next generation of top talent for the humanoid industry.
The alliance also aims to facilitate collaboration between humanoid companies and end-user businesses that intend to deploy humanoids in industrial settings. For humanoid companies, learning data and real-world validation from field deployment are essential; for user companies, adopting humanoids is inevitable to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and improve safety.
For example, Tesla is developing humanoids for use in its electric vehicle factories under the name Optimus, and Figure AI, after continued collaboration with BMW, recently signed a contract to supply 100,000 robots.
To increase end-user interest and share relevant information, the alliance will regularly host technology seminars, showcases, and competitions. These events will allow end-user companies to assess the technological capabilities and potential of robot companies, leading to various types of collaboration such as joint development, equity investments, and establishment of joint ventures.
Meanwhile, MOTIE will continue to support supply-demand partnerships through its ongoing “AI Autonomous Manufacturing Leading Project”, launched last year. Starting this year, projects in which robot suppliers and end-users collaborate to dramatically improve manufacturing processes using humanoid robots will be eligible for the initiative, with selected partnerships receiving government support for R&D and financing.
