Intel Korea has submitted an application to join the Korea Association of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics as a full member, sources confirmed. The AI and robotics association is South Korea's largest private-sector robotics group, chaired by Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), with Oh Jun-ho, head of Samsung Electronics' Future Robotics Task Force, serving as its chairman. With global big tech firms setting their sights on the rapid growth of South Korea's robotics industry, Intel's move is seen as an effort to strengthen ties with domestic robot makers and build a foundation for its AI chip business.
According to industry sources on the 23rd, Intel Korea recently submitted a full-membership application to the AI and robotics association and is currently under review. It marks the second case of a global big tech company's Korean unit joining the association. The first foreign company's Korean unit to become a member was Qualcomm Korea, which is reportedly now seeking a promotion to executive member.
Founded in 2003, the association currently has 415 member companies. Its members range in size from large corporations such as Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) and LG Electronics (066570.KS) to small and mid-sized ventures such as Rainbow Robotics (277810.KQ) and Geo Robot.
Intel's approach to an association centered on domestic companies is read as a move to expand its business influence within South Korea's robotics ecosystem. Intel, a traditional powerhouse in central processing units (CPUs), has recently been eyeing the edge AI chip segment as well. Robots equipped with autonomous intelligence must carry AI chips that can run AI models without an external internet connection. At the Computex 2026 event held in Taiwan this June, Intel promoted that its Core Ultra Series 3 CPUs had been used in more than 130 edge AI applications.
"Intel's membership in the association and Qualcomm's promotion to executive member are an extension of their domestic sales activities," an industry official said. "They likely hold expectations of expanding product sales down the line."
Intel is not the only company increasing its points of contact with South Korea's robotics ecosystem. Starting in October, Nvidia will launch a program in Seoul to train specialized robotics developers. The six-month program teaches the development of AI models for humanoid robots, with domestic startup XYZ participating alongside Nvidia. XYZ's semi-humanoid robot, Deuce, will be used as a training tool. This is the first time Nvidia has run a robotics education program together with a domestic robotics company, and the first time a Korean-made humanoid has been used as a teaching tool in an Nvidia education program.
The two companies decided to launch the program on the view that there is a shortage of robotics AI developers capable of holding their own in industrial settings. The core curriculum covers how to use Nvidia's Jetson edge AI chip and its Isaac Sim robot simulation platform. Given this, the calculation behind the Nvidia-XYZ education program appears to be to pre-train robotics AI developers specialized in Nvidia products.
In addition, Qualcomm is taking part as a demand company in the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' "Challenge for All" program, pursuing technology cooperation with smaller firms. Qualcomm is jointly developing an AI robot control computer with Yujung System, along with an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) equipped with that computer.
For big tech companies making edge AI chips, South Korea's robotics industry is an attractive market. From large corporations to startups, companies are actively building robots directly or modifying existing robots for special purposes to sell. Because each individual robot must carry an AI chip, the steep growth of the robotics industry translates directly into expanded product sales for these big tech firms.
Moreover, there is still no clear front-runner in the edge AI chip market. According to market research firm Global Market Insights, Nvidia, the market leader in edge AI chips as of 2024, held a share of just 11.2%. Qualcomm followed closely behind at 9.7%. Big tech firms' moves to forge close ties with South Korea's robotics ecosystem amount to an effort to secure market share amid the fierce edge AI chip competition.
Experts also see ample potential for the development of South Korea's robotics industry. Kwon Oh-hyung, CEO of deep-tech investment firm Future Play, said, "Since Korea is a traditional manufacturing powerhouse, simply using the industrial sites of domestic large corporations as robot testbeds would allow it to accumulate real-world validation experience that would not lag behind any in the world." He added, "Korea's strength lies in having secured an excellent value chain across the entire robotics industry, from components to AI models."
