Pohang to host South Korea’s first physical AI robot foundry

Gyeongsangbuk-do province, Pohang City, and robot automation company Neuromeka have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish South Korea’s first ‘physical AI robot foundry’ at the Yeongilman Industrial Complex in Pohang.

The project involves a total investment of 180 billion won and will be executed in two stages. The first stage, costing 40 billion won, aims to construct a production facility for collaborative robots, industrial robots, humanoids, and autonomous mobile robots (AMR). Construction is scheduled to begin in November 2024, with completion targeted for December 2027. This facility will support original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and original design manufacturing (ODM) for other robot companies.

The second stage, planned for after 2027, will involve an additional 140 billion won investment to build a ‘data foundry’ and an AI data center dedicated to inference. The data foundry will collect and standardize field data generated by robots to be used for AI learning and reasoning.

The project utilizes a ‘Regional Vitalization Investment Fund’ model, combining local government contributions with policy finance and private capital. This initiative marks the first of four major foundry projects planned by Gyeongsangbuk-do to establish advanced industrial production bases in the region.