S. Korea aims to enter mass production of humanoid robots in 2029

Seoul, Sep 10 (IANS) South Korea will work to begin mass producing humanoid robots in 2029 and autonomous vehicles powered by artificial intelligence (AI) the following year, making it a global leader in the AI transformation (AX) of manufacturing industries, the industry ministry said on Wednesday.

The plan was unveiled at the launching ceremony of the Manufacturing AX Alliance (M.AX), which will connect major companies, such as Hyundai Motor Group, LG Electronics Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and Posco Group, with AI companies to help manufacturing companies apply AI technology in their businesses, reports Yonhap news agency.

The M.AX will be composed of 10 divisions, which will be in charge of developing AI factories, AI manufacturing services, AI logistics facilities, self-driving cars, humanoid robots, autonomous ships, AI home appliances, AI defence products, AI-powered facilities for the biopharmaceutical industry and AI chips, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The alliance's projects are expected to generate more than 100 trillion won (US$72 billion) in added value by 2030, the ministry stressed.

In detail, the alliance aims to develop a foundation AI model for humanoid robots for industrial use by 2028 and begin producing at least 1,000 robots annually from 2029.

It plans to supply platforms for software-defined vehicles starting in 2028 and mass produce end-to-end (E2E) autonomous vehicles from 2030. An E2E autonomous car refers to a vehicle that uses a single AI model to handle the entire driving process.

The government will invest a combined 1 trillion won in developing core technologies for the project, such as automotive semiconductors and driving data generation simulators, according to the ministry.

The alliance will also work to construct 500 AI factories by 2030 and make South Korea the first country to develop technologies for fully autonomous ships by 2030.

Additionally, it aims to develop 10 home appliance products that will achieve global market leadership and 10 prototypes featuring domestically produced on-device AI semiconductors by 2030.

"The voluntary participation of over 1,000 companies in the alliance reflects the recognition that manufacturing AX will be crucial in corporate survival," Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said.

"Building on our manufacturing competitiveness, the government will work to maximise collaboration with the private sector to make South Korea the world's leading manufacturing AX nation by 2030," he added.

—IANS

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