South Korea commits $33.5 million to develop homegrown AI humanoid robots
South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT will invest 50.4 billion won ($33.5 million) through 2030 to develop core technologies for AI-powered humanoid robots, the ministry said Monday. The program brings together universities, research institutions, and local tech companies including LG Electronics and WIRobotics.
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) will lead the five-year initiative, which sits under the government's "K-Moonshot" program announced earlier this year to integrate AI into research and development across multiple sectors.
Who's building what
LG Electronics and WIRobotics, a local wearable robot startup, will develop advanced robot platforms designed for mass production. LG AI Research will contribute to building AI models that let humanoid robots process visual, physical, verbal, and behavioral information simultaneously.
LG Energy Solution will supply solid-state batteries for the robots. Research institutions including major local universities will participate in the AI model development.
Testing and deployment
Robots developed under the project will be tested in hospitals and nursing facilities to verify their ability to handle long-term and complex tasks that support human workers. The ministry said it wants to establish "an AI humanoid platform that represents Korea" and capture leadership in the global AI humanoid robot market.
For IT and development professionals, this initiative signals a major shift in how governments are approaching AI infrastructure. Understanding AI for IT & Development and Generative AI and LLM capabilities will become increasingly relevant as these systems move from research labs into operational environments.
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