Korean and Japanese Business Leaders Discuss Cooperation on AI Power Efficiency and Care Robots in Tokyo

KITA and Japan Economic Friendship Association Hold 5th Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable
Leading Korean AI Startups, Including FuriosaAI and Neubility, Participate

The business communities of Korea and Japan have begun establishing an industrial cooperation system to respond to the global competition in artificial intelligence (AI) and to address shared social challenges.

Participants are taking commemorative photos at the "5th Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable," jointly hosted by the Korea International Trade Association and the Japan Economic Friendship Association at the Tokyo International Forum on the 15th. Photo by Korea International Trade Association

The Korea International Trade Association announced on June 15 that it held the "5th Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable" jointly with the Japan Economic Friendship Association at the International House of Japan in Tokyo, seeking ways to strengthen Korea-Japan industrial cooperation in the AI era.

The Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable is an official cooperation channel established to strengthen private-sector collaboration and networking between businesspeople of both countries, jointly launched by the Korea-Japan Exchange Special Committee—which was formed by the Korea International Trade Association in February 2024—and its Japanese counterpart, the Japan Economic Friendship Association. Starting with Tokyo in May 2024, the event is held twice a year, alternating between Korea and Japan.

This meeting was attended by about 30 business figures from both countries, including Jang Jaejin, acting chairman of the Korea-Japan Exchange Special Committee and chairman of Orient Bio, and Masahiko Honma, co-chairman of the Japan Committee of the Japan Economic Friendship Association and general partner of Incubate Fund, as well as Masaaki Muta, president of transcosmos. Notably, Korea's leading AI startups such as FuriosaAI, Neubility, RYUTEN Technologies, and Viewrun Technologies participated to discuss concrete cooperation measures with Japanese companies including NTT and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

Jang Jaejin, acting chairman, emphasized, "The recent Korea-Japan summit has further strengthened the momentum for bilateral cooperation. In particular, the AI industry is a representative field where Korea and Japan can grow together, and now is the time for the private sector to achieve tangible results on the foundation established by both governments."

The first session focused on "Improving Power Efficiency of Data Centers," a key topic that has emerged with the rapid spread of AI. Junho Baek, CEO of FuriosaAI, and Katsuhiko Kawazoe, Senior Fellow at NTT, gave presentations sharing issues related to data center power demand and energy efficiency, and explored various avenues for technological cooperation in power management and the construction of high-efficiency infrastructure.

The second session concentrated on "Utilizing Physical AI and Robotics for Elderly Care." Kazuhiro Ichikawa, head of healthcare at Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Kang Gihyuk, CEO of Neubility, delivered presentations. Participants discussed the potential for care robots and physical AI technologies as alternatives to address the common challenges of aging populations and labor shortages in both countries, and agreed to strengthen cooperation in related industries.

Based on the topics discussed at this roundtable, the Korea International Trade Association plans to hold the "6th Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable" in Seoul in the second half of the year. The next meeting will review the follow-up achievements of the collaborative tasks identified this time and further detail cooperation measures in the AI and robotics fields.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.