Insider Brief
- South Korea’s physical AI news this week spanned on-device robotics chips, cobot sensing, shipyard and highway automation, multi-agent manufacturing and a modular robotics IPO.
- Semifive and Mobilint advanced an outdoor robotics AI chip project, Aidin Robotics joined a Doosan-led cobot program, and Hanwha Ocean and Korea Expressway Corp. separately signed agreements covering shipbuilding robots, humanoids, infrastructure maintenance and charging automation.
- SKPack will lead a roughly $7.2 million multi-agent autonomous-manufacturing project, while Brills raised about $17 million in its KOSDAQ IPO and jumped more than 135% on its Oct. 1 debut.
South Korea’s physical AI news this week featured on-device silicon, cobot fingertips, shipyard and highway MoUs, a factory multi-agent grant and a modular robotics IPO.
Semifive & Mobilint
According to Semifive,, the ASIC house signed a Spec Hand-off turnkey contract with Mobilint under the K-On-Device AI Semiconductor program for outdoor robotics AI, including farm machines, with LPDDR6, PCIe Gen6 and UCIe-S. The Elec reported work through April 2029 on Samsung 4 nm and Daedong as the demand-side user for future tractor, transplanter and combine lines.
Doosan Robotics, Aidin Robotics & Mobilint
Edaily reported that Aidin Robotics joined a South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy cobot project Doosan Robotics is overseeing through December 2030, with Mobilint on AI semiconductors. Doosan Robotics supplies the cobot body and controller. Aidin is building two- and multi-finger grippers with force/torque and tactile sensors plus a grasp-training SDK for logistics and manufacturing field tests, building on a November physical AI MoU.
Hanwha Ocean & KIRO
The Korea Institute of Robot Convergence signed an MoU at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje plant for shipbuilding-specific autonomous work robots, industrial humanoids and AI robot solutions, Edaily reported. Hanwha Ocean will link yard needs with KIRO robotics and AI. AI and automation are used in about 67% of indoor welding, with the company targeting full welding automation by 2030 and 50% AI adoption in pretreatment and painting.
Korea Expressway Corp. and Hyundai Motor Group
Korea Expressway Corp. signed an MoU with Hyundai Motor Group on Physical AI robots for expressway safety and maintenance plus charging robots and wireless charging at rest stops, the Herald Business reported. The operator will provide bridges, tunnels and rest stops as demo sites. Hyundai Motor Group will contribute service and charging robot experience.
SKPack & KAIT
SKPack, a NamuAX unit, will lead a KIAT physical AI autonomous-manufacturing R&D project with about $7.2 million over roughly five years, Digital Today reported. Partners include Sejong University, the University of Toronto, CUUVA and a major Korean food company. SKPack will build multi-agent control for heterogeneous cobots and AMRs, starting in virtual tests then implement them in stages at food plants.
Brills
Modular robot-platform firm Brills raised about $17 million in a KOSDAQ IPO at ₩19,500 a share and jumped more than 135% on its Oct. 1 debut, Seoul Economic Daily reported. It supplies industrial robots, cobots and AMRs for auto, battery and semiconductor lines. Seoul Economic Daily said proceeds are set to fund physical AI and humanoid technology.
