SKT Holds Physical AI Startup Meeting: "We Will Build an Open Ecosystem"

With Participation from SK Group AI Committee, SK hynix, and SK AX

SK Telecom announced on July 31 that it will expand collaboration with eight physical AI startups to strengthen the robotics ecosystem.

On July 30, SK Telecom held the 'Physical AI and Robotics Startup Meeting' at the SK Seorin Building in Jongno-gu, sharing trends in 'physical AI'—technology that enables robots to perceive, make decisions, and act autonomously in the real world—and developments in the robotics industry that actualize these capabilities.

Key executives from SK Telecom, the SK Group AI Committee, SK hynix, and SK AX, as well as CEOs from eight leading Korean physical AI and robotics startups, attended the event. The participating companies were Gauss Labs, Realworld, MakinaRocks, CMES Robotics, WeRobotics, UIL Robotics, Config Intelligence, and Holiday Robotics.

On the 30th, at the SK Seorin Building in Jongno-gu, the 'Physical AI and Robotics Startup Meeting' was held, where key executives from SK member companies and CEOs of eight startups shared trends in the robotics industry and discussed opportunities for business collaboration. Provided by SK Telecom.

The eight startups in attendance possess a wide range of robotics technologies and solutions covering the entire field of physical AI, including humanoid robots, wearable robots, industrial collaborative robots, and Robot Foundation Models (RFM).

The participants focused on discussing joint proof-of-concept initiatives in manufacturing, logistics, and service industries. They also exchanged ideas on ways to combine SK Group’s capabilities in AI semiconductors, AI data centers, digital twins, and AI models with the physical AI technologies of the startups.

In particular, SK Telecom engaged with participating companies on building robot training datasets for RFM development within digital twin spaces that virtually replicate industrial sites. Given that data acquisition and building proof-of-concept environments are key challenges in the physical AI field, SK Telecom expects that this collaboration will accelerate the application and commercialization of research-stage technologies in real-world settings.

Yoo Kyungsang, Head of AI CIC at SK Telecom, said, "Genuine innovation in the physical AI industry can only occur when the full-stack AI ecosystem—from semiconductors to Robot Foundation Models and application services—is organically interconnected. We will continue to expand partnerships with domestic physical AI startups and lead the advancement of the robotics ecosystem."

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