Korean AI Semiconductor 'Ribellion' Secures 20 Billion Investment from Saudi Aramco

Planned Establishment of Saudi Local Corporation
Cumulative Investment Approaching 300 Billion Won

AI semiconductor startup Rebellion is accelerating its global market expansion by securing an investment of 20 billion KRW from Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil group Aramco.

On the 23rd, Rebellion announced that it had secured an investment of 20 billion KRW from Wa'ed Ventures, Aramco's CVC (corporate venture capital), marking the first time a Korean startup has received investment from Aramco. This has paved the way for entry into the Middle Eastern AI market, including Saudi Arabia. Wa'ed Ventures is characterized by discovering leading tech startups worldwide and supporting their growth beyond financial backing by building partnerships and connecting global networks. It is expected to provide multifaceted support to help Rebellion establish itself in the local AI market and expand its business base.

Recently, the Saudi government has shown movements to build its own AI infrastructure and services aiming to achieve sovereign AI, actively supporting the entry of startups with AI technology rather than big US tech companies. Utilizing this favorable environment, Rebellion will also establish a local subsidiary in Saudi Arabia and aggressively target the Middle Eastern AI market.

Fahad Alidi, CEO of Wa'ed Ventures, stated, "The semiconductor industry is one of the technology visions that Saudi Arabia is strategically focusing on, and this investment demonstrates Saudi Arabia's commitment to promoting innovation in the semiconductor industry."

Seonghyun Park, CEO of Rebellion, said, "As Saudi Arabia is aggressively investing funds and building partnerships to secure AI competitiveness, Aramco's investment will be an important turning point for Rebellion's market expansion. We aim to continue the export success stories achieved by our predecessor companies in the Middle East with Rebellion's AI and semiconductor technology."

Meanwhile, Rebellion has laid the groundwork for global expansion by attracting funds from overseas investors such as Pavilion Capital of Singapore's Temasek, Corelia Capital of France, and DG Daiwa Ventures of Japan. Earlier this year, it secured a Series B investment worth 165 billion KRW, achieving the highest cumulative investment among domestic AI semiconductor companies, and with this latest investment, Rebellion's total cumulative investment amount is approaching 300 billion KRW.