SKT steps up ties with physical AI startups to expand robotics ecosystem

SK Telecom is strengthening cooperation with 8 South Korean physical AI and robotics startups and expanding field demonstrations at business sites.

SKT said on July 31 it held a "Physical AI and Robotics Startup Meeting" on July 30 at SK Seorin Building in Jongno district, Seoul, to share related technologies and industry trends.

The meeting was attended by key executives from SK Telecom, the SK Group AI Committee, SK hynix and SK AX, as well as South Korean physical AI and robotics startups Gauss Labs, Realworld, Makinarocks, C-Mes Robotics, WeRobotics, Yuil Robotics, Config Intelligence and Holiday Robotics.

Physical AI is a technology that enables robots to recognise the real world and make their own decisions and actions. The companies have technologies and solutions across physical AI, including humanoids and wearable robots, industrial collaborative robots and robot foundation models (RFM).

The meeting shared SKT's direction for promoting its physical AI business, participating startups' core technologies, business status and cooperation proposals. Participants discussed ways to pursue joint demonstrations at industrial sites, including manufacturing, logistics and services. They also reviewed cooperation plans that combine SK Group capabilities such as AI semiconductors, AI data centres, digital twins and AI models with startups' robotics technologies.

They also discussed building robot learning data needed to develop RFMs in a digital twin space that virtually implements business sites. The participating companies plan to expand the scope of cooperation across physical AI, including robot hardware, data and AI models, and build an open robotics ecosystem.

Kyeong-sang Yoo (유경상), head of SKT's AI CIC, said, "In the physical AI industry, real innovation is possible when a full-stack AI ecosystem is organically connected." He added, "We will continue to expand partnerships with domestic physical AI startups to lead the development of the robotics ecosystem."