NAIRL Introduces Korea’s AI Ecosystem at Baden-Württemberg AI Forum in Germany

The National AI Research Lab (NAIRL) participated as a Korean speaker at an AI forum hosted by Baden-Württemberg International in Germany on May 19, introducing Korea’s AI innovation ecosystem and NAIRL’s key research directions. The forum was held as part of the State of Baden-Württemberg’s Asia-Pacific Dialogue Series and brought together perspectives on AI policy and industrial applications from major Asian countries including Korea, China, and Vietnam.

The forum was attended by stakeholders from industry, research institutions, and public organizations in Baden-Württemberg. The Korean presentation was delivered by Sophia Soyoung Moon, Researcher at NAIRL. Under the theme “Korea’s AI Ecosystem: Strategy, Research & Global Collaboration,” Moon provided a comprehensive overview of Korea’s AI policy direction, industrial infrastructure, research ecosystem, and international collaboration strategy.

In her presentation, Moon described Korea’s AI ecosystem as a closely connected structure linking government-led strategy, industrial foundations, and research capabilities. She highlighted that AI technologies are increasingly being deployed in real-world settings, building on Korea’s strengths in semiconductors, manufacturing, and robotics. She also noted that Korea’s national AI transformation is gaining momentum through expanded public investment in AI, infrastructure development, and the implementation of the AI Basic Act.

Moon also introduced NAIRL’s role and research direction. Supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT, NAIRL is Korea’s flagship AI research consortium, bringing together leading universities, industry partners, and international research institutions to advance next-generation AI research and industrial applications. The presentation highlighted NAIRL’s major research pillars, including fundamental AI research beyond neural scaling laws, robotics foundation models, and high-dimensional generative AI.

The presentation also addressed potential areas of collaboration with Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Baden-Württemberg is one of Europe’s leading innovation regions, with strong foundations in manufacturing, robotics, and industrial AI, as well as research and industrial institutions such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation and IPAI Heilbronn. NAIRL presented potential areas of cooperation where the strengths of both sides intersect, including robotics foundation models, manufacturing AI, and industrial AI applications.

Building on its participation in the forum, NAIRL plans to continue follow-up exchanges with leading AI research and industrial institutions in Germany and further explore opportunities for joint research and researcher exchange in Physical AI and industrial AI. Through these efforts, NAIRL aims to expand points of connection between Korea’s AI research ecosystem and Europe’s innovation hubs in manufacturing and robotics.