A container-centred cargo storage system that has lasted for more than 30 years is changing. Demand for storage is surging as interior remodelling increases. The need to safely store assets such as high-priced appliances, furniture and interior materials is also coming into focus.

That demand is hard to meet under the standards of traditional container warehouses. A startup is seeking to fundamentally address inefficiencies in logistics sites with AI and automation. Noblelogis, an AI-based logistics and storage automation technology company led by CEO Woo-jae Jung (정우재), is one such firm.

◆ "Containers are not a standard, but a temporary fix"... normalising a 30-year practice

Jung diagnosed the history of Korea's storage business, saying it had "a distorted start" based on container storage. He said the United States, Japan and Europe developed indoor self-storage based on concrete and sandwich panels from the beginning. By contrast, he said Korea began storage by reusing import-export containers amid moving-industry practices and low-cost logic, and it became entrenched as an industry standard for more than 30 years.

Jung found structural limits in the storage business based on more than 15 years of IT business experience and roles as a 3PL logistics centre manager and a container warehouse marketing team leader. He said numerous conversations with customers revealed on-site problems, which led to the startup.

As remodelling increases, a service to store assets such as high-priced interiors, appliances and furniture has become a necessity rather than a choice, he said. During interior construction, he said households often need to store all belongings somewhere for about a month, and container warehouses tied to moving companies have been hitting clear limits in temperature, humidity and quality.

◆ Quotations, loading, operations... tackling core bottlenecks at once

Noblelogis has a clear goal. It aims to normalise Korea's storage business through indoor temperature- and humidity-controlled storage plus automation technology. To do that, it is developing and advancing technology in three core areas.

The first is premium storage services. Through its in-house storage service, NobleStorage, it provides global-standard indoor storage with temperature control, humidity control and security. It runs a total service that manages customers' high-priced assets safely with a 24-hour monitoring system and delivers them back after interior work is completed.

The second is a cage-type automated loading system. It was developed to address space inefficiency in warehouses, as well as excessive inputs of labour costs and time. Jung stressed that safety risks arising from forklift-centred operations were also targeted for resolution.

The third is an AI-based automated quotation system for unstructured images. Jung described it as the company's most innovative technology. He said logistics quotations have typically required people to check items in person, and disputes have often arisen when a driver called for a small move demanded more money after saying the volume of goods differed. Noblelogis is developing an AI automated quotation system to structurally address such inefficiency and disputes.

Jung said similar ideas have been developed abroad and in Korea in the past, but most failed because they were not advanced enough for use on site. AI ultimately needs to learn through data, he said, adding that model data is required.

Noblelogis' strength emerges here. Since its launch in March 2023, it has been operating a photo-based quotation service in a contactless manner, which it said is the only such service in Korea. On a cumulative basis, it has secured nearly 100,000 training photo data points and about 4,000 quotation data cases.

Noblelogis has the only conditions that enable it to train and advance through deep learning using data from various sites, Jung said. He added it is developing the system with the goal of commercialisation in 2026.

◆ 10 billion won revenue in 2026, aiming to become a leader in premium storage

Noblelogis' technology and business model are being validated rapidly in the market. Within two years of its founding, it secured 10 directly operated bases in key areas of the Seoul metropolitan region. It succeeded in raising a pre-Series A round in 2025 and is raising a second round in the first half of 2026. Noblelogis was selected for the 2025 Startup-Focused University programme supported by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development and hosted by Hanyang University, and was evaluated as an excellent company.

Noblelogis is focusing on scaling this year. Jung said it plans to significantly expand the size of each base rather than increase the number of centres.

Noblelogis is looking to the international stage. Jung said it is holding PoC and business talks with logistics companies in Asian markets including Taiwan, Japan and Singapore to cooperate with overseas logistics operators on its AI quotation-integrated logistics system and cage automated loading system.

Noblelogis is pursuing a clear step-by-step roadmap. In 2023, it improved storage quality issues by building a temperature- and humidity-control system. In 2024, it focused on solving operational inefficiency and safety issues by developing a cage-type automated loading system. In 2025, it is focusing on advancing its AI-based automated quotation system. In 2026, it aims to position itself as a premium storage specialist and targets revenue of 10 billion won.

Demand for storage and logistics services is moving toward a larger share of premium and specialised storage, Jung said. Needs for automation and AI-based optimisation are also expanding rapidly, he said, adding that he aims to automate the entire process of quotations, loading and operations and transform storage from a "low-cost, customary industry" into a "quality- and trust-based infrastructure industry".