Qualcomm has selected 15 AI companies in South Korea, Japan and Singapore through its Asia-Pacific startup development programme. Qualcomm Technologies said on Tuesday it announced the 15 startups that will take part in "QAIPI (Qualcomm AI Program for Innovators) 2026".

The South Korean selections were Enerzai, WithRobot, Undermilli, Klikka and Flaidlabs. In Japan, five companies were chosen: APTO, KanjuTech Kabushiki Kaisha, KimPax, MY ROBOTS K.K. and XNOVA. In Singapore, AIPLUX TECHNOLOGY, QuikBot Technologies, RED DOT DRONE, Refined Robotics and Zebrid made the list. The selected companies are developing AI solutions across sectors including aerospace, agriculture, drones, healthcare, robotics and smart infrastructure.

The 15 startups will join a mentorship course over the next six months. They will receive one-on-one mentoring with Qualcomm experts, access to hardware development platforms, product development support worth up to $2,500 and patent application support worth up to $5,000. Companies that successfully complete the programme will receive grants of up to $10,000.

Kwon Oh-hyung (권오형), Qualcomm APAC head, said he was pleased Qualcomm would again support high-potential startups in the Asia-Pacific region through QAIPI this year. He said 2026 is the "year of AI agents" based on a highly connected and distributed computing environment. Agentic experiences spanning devices, edge systems and the cloud show a transition to an integrated compute continuum as defined by Qualcomm, he said.

He added the startups selected this year show the expanding potential for edge AI use in real industrial settings. Qualcomm will support the companies to move more quickly from technology development to commercialisation through QAIPI and further strengthen startup ecosystems across the Asia-Pacific region, he added.

Sudipto Roy (수딥토 로이), a vice president of engineering at Qualcomm, said more than 100 applicants showed differentiated capabilities spanning robotics, healthcare, drones, industrial safety and smart infrastructure. He said he was pleased to support them in turning promising prototypes into scalable and patent-protected products.

The programme will conclude with a demo day scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026. Participating startups plan to present their AI solutions to industry leaders, system integrators and investors at the event.