[AI Revolution](106) Innosimulation "Will Become Korea's Leading XR Solution Company"

Leading Domestic Simulator Development
Exported to 80 Countries Overseas
Entering Various Markets Including Railroad and Defense

Joonhee Cho, CEO of Innosimulation, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the company headquarters in Magok-dong, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Joonhee Cho, CEO of Innosimulation, is a leading figure in the field of ‘simulators,’ which are essential for developing future mobility such as autonomous driving and unmanned aerial vehicles. His encounter with simulator technology, which was unfamiliar over 20 years ago, was almost by chance. After graduating from university, he was working at Mando Machinery, well known for the kimchi refrigerator ‘Dimchae,’ when he enrolled in the Graduate School of Automotive Engineering at Kookmin University through an industry-academia collaboration program. There, he undertook the ‘Korea’s first automotive simulator development project’ proposed by Hyundai Motor Company. His relationship with Hyundai, now a reliable partner, began at that time. He supplied the product developed over two years to Hyundai, and captivated by the simulation field, CEO Cho chose to start his own company instead of returning to his previous job.

A simulator refers to equipment that allows mobility to be test-driven in a digital virtual space. Since operating on actual roads can be dangerous, simulators are mainly used to safely test and evaluate systems. In the early 2000s, domestic simulators in Korea were considered cumbersome, heavy, expensive, and inconvenient equipment. In response, CEO Cho developed the first PC-based simulator, advancing the technology to the next level. The early members of Innosimulation consisted of experts with development capabilities in software, electronics, and mechanical equipment, and they have continuously supplied products to Hyundai Motor Company.

In 2007, they developed a simulator for the KTX Sancheon high-speed train and delivered it to Hyundai Rotem for the first time. Until then, the market had been dominated by European companies from Germany, France, and others. Since then, they have expanded their business by developing simulators necessary for KTX train driver license exams. CEO Cho said, "We expanded our items from automobiles to trains, ships, and airplanes," adding, "At the same time, thinking the domestic market was too small, we turned our eyes to overseas exports."

The first export achievement was delivering 55 driving training simulators to the Indonesian police in 2006. Since then, they have won the largest vehicle simulator project in China and exported railway vehicle simulators to Turkey, becoming a global small giant company active in over 80 countries to date. Recently, they have also ventured into defense projects. They signed a contract worth 5.2 billion KRW to supply unmanned combat vehicle test equipment with Hyundai Rotem. CEO Cho said, "If we don’t do it, I felt we would just have to watch foreign companies take over again." Participating in defense projects requires maintaining security, and Innosimulation even remodeled its headquarters office in Magok-dong for this purpose.

Cho Junhee, CEO of InnoSimulation, is taking a photo in front of a simulator used in a driving rehabilitation program. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Investment in artificial intelligence (AI) technology for new industries was also made early on. Innosimulation possesses XR simulation technology that creates a reality-based virtual world where users can immerse themselves. They believe that adding generative AI technology to this can significantly reduce development costs and time. CEO Cho said, "It took two months to virtualize the roads in the Pangyo area, but with AI, it will be even faster," adding, "It is not impossible to create a virtual space of the entire country." He expressed his ambition, saying, "We will become Korea’s representative XR simulation company," and "We will connect the real and virtual worlds to provide diverse experiences to future mobility users."