Seoul National University and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources sign an MOU to strengthen cooperation under the Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) Alliance, launching joint research on humanoids, autonomous driving, and AI factories.

 Recently, Seoul National University (SNU) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation under the “SNU–Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) Alliance,” and have begun full-scale joint research to expand the application of artificial intelligence in the manufacturing industry. Six specialized institutes within SNU—the Institute of Advanced Machines and Design, the AI Institute of Seoul National University, the Automation and Systems Research Institute, the Inter-University Semiconductor Research Center, the Research Institute of Marine Systems Engineering, and the Defense Engineering Center—will establish a one-to-one collaboration framework with companies and institutions in the M.AX Alliance and pursue research aimed at manufacturing innovation.

 Based on manufacturing data as well as robot, vehicle, and factory platforms provided by participating companies, SNU will jointly develop AI models in specific fields such as humanoids, autonomous vehicles, and AI factories, and the developed models will be deployed in the companies’ products and factory systems. Specifically, the teams led by Professors Zhang, Byoung-Tak and Park, Jaeheung will develop a humanoid AI foundation model with a budget of KRW 48.4 billion by 2028; the teams led by Professors Hong, Seongsoo and Choi, Jun Won Choi will develop an autonomous-driving AI model and control software with a budget of KRW 48.9 billion; and the teams led by Professors Youn, Byeng Dong, Ahn, Sung-Hoon, Kim Do-Nyun Kim, and Lim, Jongwoo will develop an AI factory model with a budget of KRW 21.5 billion by 2029. The two sides will also establish measures for joint utilization of manufacturing data, including preprocessing, standardization, and anonymization, and MOTIR plans to support this through a program to build and utilize a manufacturing data repository. In addition, to foster talent, they will expand opportunities for SNU students to participate in M.AX Alliance research through industry–academia collaborative projects and internship programs.

 MOTIR stated that, through this cooperation, it aims to accelerate innovation in manufacturing processes and foster new industries, with a goal of creating more than KRW 100 trillion in added value by 2030.