NVIDIA Expands Global AI Research Footprint in South Korea
NVIDIA and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) today announced the launch of a joint AI research laboratory at the KAIST Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI in Seoul, dedicated to advancing agentic AI for South Korea.
The collaboration, valued at $300 million over five years, establishes a robust academic AI research program that brings together NVIDIA's full-stack AI expertise, Nemotron open models, and NVIDIA AI Cloud partner computing with KAIST's world-class scientific talent.
"Korea is home to leading AI researchers and is one of the world's most advanced technology ecosystems," said Bill Dally, chief scientist and senior vice president of research at NVIDIA. "The joint NVIDIA-KAIST research lab will provide a foundation for the next frontier of AI research to accelerate AI models and agent systems built for Korea's industries, language and future."
$50 Million Per Year in Compute Resources
The joint lab's compute infrastructure — provided through local NVIDIA Cloud Partners — will give researchers direct access to the latest NVIDIA AI infrastructure. The $300 million collaboration includes approximately $50-million-per-year in compute contributions over the initial five-year period.
The lab plans to fund at least 10 KAIST researchers annually, each with internship opportunities at NVIDIA. Additionally, NVIDIA plans to hire exceptional Korean researchers for full-time positions, creating stronger pathways for Korea's top AI talent to pursue ambitious research and build long-term careers.
Focus on Korean-Language AI and Agentic Systems
Among the lab's priorities will be developing models optimized for the Korean language and Korea-specific use cases, using NVIDIA Nemotron open models to advance the country's AI capabilities. The pipeline will run from academic discovery to enterprise and national AI deployments.
"AI research is entering a new era — one that requires frontier talent, large-scale infrastructure and deep collaboration across academia and industry," said Hyunwoo Kim, incoming faculty member at the KAIST Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI, who will serve as head of the joint lab. "Together, NVIDIA and KAIST will pursue ambitious work that helps Korea attract and retain top AI scientists while building lasting ties with NVIDIA's global research organization."
Part of NVIDIA's Broader Asia-Pacific Push
The launch follows a series of Asia-Pacific AI infrastructure investments by NVIDIA. Just last week, NVIDIA announced a collaboration with the Japanese government and industrial leaders to launch the world's first national AI infrastructure, alongside partnerships with Japanese enterprises building industry-specialized AI with Nemotron open models.
KAIST, headquartered in Daejeon and founded in 1971, is consistently ranked among Asia's top universities in science and engineering. The lab will be based at its Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI in Seoul, the heart of South Korea's technology ecosystem.
