[Digital Today reporter Seulgi Son] NC AI said on Wednesday it signed a memorandum of understanding with AI robotics company CMES Robotics on July 29 for joint research and development and technology sharing on physical AI.

Under the agreement, the two companies will pursue joint physical AI R&D, share core technologies and research results, and identify and advance next-generation robotics solutions.

NC AI plans to advance AI technology so robots can understand their surroundings and make autonomous decisions, based on world model and robot foundation model (RFM) technologies that understand the physical laws of the real world and environmental changes and predict future states.

CMES Robotics will be responsible for on-site validation and advancement of AI models using data accumulated in manufacturing and logistics sites, along with a vision foundation model (VFM), RFM and precision robot control technologies.

The companies plan to build a virtuous-cycle development system that uses data secured at industrial sites for AI training and building simulation environments, then applies trained models back to robot systems. Through this, they will push to develop intelligent robotics technology applicable to industrial sites by securing training data and reducing the 'Sim-to-Real' problem, which is cited as a challenge in physical AI.

They plan to expand the scope of physical AI applications to various industries, starting with manufacturing and logistics, and jointly identify AI robotics solutions.

NC AI CEO Yeon-su Lee (이연수) said, "Based on the core technological capabilities of both companies, we will expand industrial applications of physical AI and bring forward intelligent automation in manufacturing and logistics environments."

CMES Robotics CEO Seong-ho Lee (이성호) said, "We will build a cooperation model that shares on-site data and technologies to develop intelligent automation solutions that can be used at actual industrial sites."