Qualcomm has joined a Ministry of SMEs and Startups-run AI startup support program as a demand partner. Qualcomm Technologies will take part in the vertical track of the ministry’s "Challenge AX for Everyone" program and begin technical collaboration with South Korean startups, it said on Wednesday.

"Challenge AX for Everyone" is a program that combines startup technology with the products and platforms of global conglomerates to help commercialisation and secure sales channels. In the vertical track, Qualcomm and LG Electronics participate as demand partners.

Qualcomm will match its South Korean partner companies, Yujung System, P&C Solution and Access Lab, one-on-one with startups to pursue three vertical projects covering AR glasses, robots and on-premise appliances.

The projects include jointly developing robot control and autonomous mobile robot (AMR) solutions using boards based on Qualcomm Dragonwing processors, developing on-device voice and object recognition models for wearable devices, and developing AI on-premise appliance service infrastructure based on Qualcomm NPU accelerator cards. Each project aims to advance AI technology that can be applied at real industrial sites and to commercialise it.

Selected startups will receive support in planning proof-of-concept (PoC) work and up to 100 million won per company in commercialisation funding. They will also be provided with matching to working-level departments, cooperation on technology development and support for global expansion. Qualcomm expects participating startups to be able to quickly validate AI technology applicable to devices and platforms and increase the likelihood of entering the market, the company said.

Kim Sang-pyo (김상표), head of Qualcomm Korea, said, "Qualcomm last year acquired Arduino, Edge Impulse and Augentixs, presenting a comprehensive new approach to AI, edge computing and robotics by combining an expanded industrial and embedded IoT portfolio with a strong developer ecosystem. This year’s vertical challenge is also focused on that, and we hope new products and services will be identified."