SEOU — The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on Friday that it will establish the "NVIDIA-KAIST Joint AI Research Lab" at its Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI. The landmark initiative marks Asia's first joint AI research laboratory established between NVIDIA and a university to advance next-generation agentic AI technology.
The joint initiative represents a $300 million commitment over an initial five-year period, featuring $50 million annually in AI compute contributions. Researchers participating in the lab will gain direct access to state-of-the-art NVIDIA AI computing infrastructure provided through domestic NVIDIA Cloud Partners. The facility aims to develop core agentic AI models and systems specifically tailored for the Korean language and domestic industry applications. Research efforts will combine NVIDIA’s full-stack AI platform technologies and Nemotron open models with KAIST's world-class scientific personnel.
Under the agreement, the lab will fund research for at least 10 KAIST researchers each year, offering each recipient internship opportunities at NVIDIA. Furthermore, NVIDIA plans to recruit exceptional Korean AI scholars into full-time research positions, establishing a long-term talent development pipeline between academia and industry.
Dr. Hyunwoo Kim, an incoming professor at KAIST's Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI and current researcher at NVIDIA, will serve as the inaugural director of the joint lab. Dr. Kim will lead the center's research strategy and coordinate collaborative projects between KAIST faculty and NVIDIA’s global research organization.
"This collaboration marks the starting point of a strategic partnership between KAIST and NVIDIA that combines world-class research talent with cutting-edge AI infrastructure," said KAIST President Choongsik Bae. Bill Dally, Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President of Research at NVIDIA, noted that South Korea possesses one of the world's most advanced technology ecosystems, adding that the joint facility will provide a strong foundation to accelerate agentic AI models for Korea's industries and future. Song Chong, Head of the KAIST Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI, highlighted that the center represents an innovative industry-academia model designed to foster foundational AI technologies while empowering local talent to perform global-scale research within South Korea.
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