Exploring the Impact of AI in Korea: Insights from NVIDIA AI Day Seoul
Artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping the digital landscape globally, and South Korea is no exception. Recently, the country played host to an exciting event, the NVIDIA AI Day in Seoul, shedding light on how AI is transforming various sectors, from government to gaming. This event brought together a diverse group of over 1,000 attendees, including AI enthusiasts, developers, researchers, and startups, all eager to explore the evolving AI ecosystem in Korea.
The Event: A Hub for AI Innovators
NVIDIA AI Day Seoul was a significant gathering, offering attendees a plethora of learning opportunities. The event featured breakout sessions focused on agentic and physical AI, hands-on workshops, and a startup reception for members of the NVIDIA Inception program. This program is designed to support startups by providing them with resources, expertise, and access to technology, helping them innovate and grow.
During the reception, Andy Lee, the Inception program manager at NVIDIA, welcomed attendees and highlighted the Inception Grand Challenge. This competition saw 100 Korean startups vying for a spot in the finals, with five making it through. The winning team was honored by the Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups, while all finalists received certificates from NVIDIA, showcasing the vibrant AI startup community in Korea.
One of the finalists, Jaeho Oh, CEO of PYLER, expressed his excitement, stating that being part of the challenge was an opportunity to showcase successful collaboration with NVIDIA’s technical teams. PYLER is pioneering video understanding AI in South Korea and has become the first in the country to adopt the NVIDIA DGX B200 system, thanks to the support from the Inception program.
Why AI Matters in Korea
AI is revolutionizing various industries in Korea, with major conglomerates like Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group, and NAVER Cloud deeply integrating AI into their operations. In the public sector, AI is enhancing efficiency by helping process documents, policies, and regulatory information at scale, providing citizens with instant access to necessary information.
Shilpa Kolhatkar, NVIDIA’s global head of AI nations, emphasized that AI is also making strides in areas such as AI avatars, speech recognition technologies, gaming, music, and the K-pop industry. These innovations are collectively bolstering Korea’s digital infrastructure.
The numbers speak for themselves: Korea boasts over 700 NVIDIA Inception startups, 11 sovereign large language model (LLM) projects, 332,000 developers using NVIDIA technologies, 49,000 enrollments in the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute, and 13 supercomputers in operation.
Event Highlights: A Confluence of Ideas and Innovation
The NVIDIA AI Day Seoul was not just about showcasing technologies but also about fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing. The event featured four NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute training sessions and several breakout sessions focused on different topics. The NVIDIA Inception reception provided a platform for Korean AI startups and venture capital firms to connect and explore potential collaborations.
Attendees had the opportunity to engage with NVIDIA’s tech experts in an "Ask the NVIDIA Tech Experts" area. This interaction allowed developers to discuss real-world technological challenges and solutions with specialists in AI infrastructure, high-performance computing, LLMs, robotics, and automotive sectors.
One of the highlights was an informative session by Ankit Patel, NVIDIA’s senior director of developer marketing, who delved into the concept of agentic AI through the lens of scaling laws. He highlighted the importance of reasoning models, which are crucial for intelligent decision-making, in the latest generation of AI technologies.
The event also featured plenary sessions with industry leaders like Marc Hamilton, NVIDIA’s vice president of global solutions architecture and engineering, who discussed the convergence of AI factories with physical AI. Meanwhile, Kolhatkar shared insights on Korea’s efforts to build sovereign AI models and modern AI factories aligned with national priorities through government initiatives and global partnerships.
Driving the Next Industrial Revolution with AI
Korea’s AI ecosystem is thriving, thanks in part to the efforts of NVIDIA partners based in the country. NAVER Cloud, for instance, is working with NVIDIA to develop a sustainable AI foundation and technological sovereignty. During the event, NAVER Cloud showcased its development of an agentic AI system using the NVIDIA NeMo Agent Toolkit, which helps derive optimization insights.
LG AI Research presented its advanced LLM training using the NVIDIA NeMo framework, achieving faster training speeds and improved reasoning performance. Coupang Intelligent Cloud, on the other hand, discussed its AI factory built with NVIDIA DGX systems, which is set to deliver AI-powered solutions for various applications, including demand forecasting, logistics optimization, and ad personalization.
The Road Ahead: Empowering Korean Innovators
The future of AI in Korea looks promising. Following an announcement at the APEC Summit, Korean developers across enterprises, startups, and research institutes will soon have access to a massive AI infrastructure comprising 260,000 GPUs. This infrastructure, equipped with NVIDIA’s full stack of accelerated libraries and software development kits, is expected to propel Korea’s AI ecosystem to new heights.
Kyungwon Cho, director of the Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups, expressed optimism about the opportunities this infrastructure will create for Korean companies and startups. He noted that the NVIDIA AI Day provided a valuable platform for exploring cutting-edge AI technologies and potential collaborations. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups is committed to working with NVIDIA to foster growth and global competitiveness among Korean startups.
As the event concluded, the anticipation for the next installment of NVIDIA AI Day in Sao Paulo, scheduled for January, began to build. Participants are eager to discover the latest AI breakthroughs, connect with peers and experts, and explore new possibilities for innovation.
For those interested in learning more about AI developments worldwide, NVIDIA AI Days offer a wealth of insights and opportunities to engage with the forefront of AI technology. For further information, visit the official NVIDIA blog.
By showcasing the dynamic AI landscape in Korea, NVIDIA AI Day Seoul highlighted the country’s commitment to embracing AI-driven innovation across industries. As AI continues to evolve, Korea is poised to play a leading role in shaping the digital future.
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