NC AI Partners with Army to Accelerate 'Defense AI Innovation'

Joining Forces to Build a Manned-Unmanned Integrated Combat System

Reader AI Elite Team NC AI announced that it signed a "Mutual Cooperation and Exchange Memorandum of Understanding" with the Army Artificial Intelligence Center on the 30th in Chungcheongnam-do. The photo shows, from the left at the signing ceremony, Kim Seongsuk, Director of the Army Artificial Intelligence Center, and Kim Geunkyo, Head of Global Business at NC AI. Photo by NC AI

NC AI has joined hands with the Army to drive innovation in military artificial intelligence.

On October 31, NC AI announced that it had signed a "Mutual Cooperation and Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)" with the Army Artificial Intelligence Center on October 30. The signing ceremony was attended by Kim Geunkyo, Head of Global Business at NC AI, Kim Seongsuk, Director of the Army Artificial Intelligence Center, and other key representatives from both sides, marking the first step toward defense AI collaboration.

This agreement is regarded as the starting point for a military-civilian AI partnership aimed at transforming the armed forces into a technologically advanced, AI-powered military. In particular, as the Army's 2040 vision for an AI-based manned-unmanned integrated combat system aligns with NC AI's advanced technological capabilities, the partnership is expected to serve as a turning point for innovation in the defense AI ecosystem.

Under the agreement, the two organizations will collaborate on sharing knowledge and information for AI advancement, joint development of prototypes, and exchange of specialized personnel. NC AI will support the Army Artificial Intelligence Center in strengthening its technological capabilities and will participate in prototype development and the training of AI specialists. The Army will establish a complementary cooperation structure by supporting AI development collaboration and technology exchange.

Both sides plan to go beyond simple technology transfer by jointly developing customized AI solutions tailored to the unique needs of national defense and by operating a continuous consultative body to respond to the rapidly changing AI technology environment. Through these efforts, they aim to lay the foundation for building sovereign AI capabilities together.

NC AI possesses a wide range of technological expertise, including generative AI for content creation, multimodal AI, and physical AI, based on 14 years of accumulated AI technology at NCSOFT. In particular, the proprietary "VARCO Vision 2.0" and "VARCO 3D" technologies, which can simultaneously interpret text, images, and video, are expected to be utilized for integrating core defense systems such as surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike operations.

Additionally, NC AI's physical AI technology is directly connected to the Army's ongoing development of a manned-unmanned integrated combat system. Key technologies such as automatic 3D model generation using VARCO 3D, digital twin implementation, and multimodal fusion are considered essential for establishing AI-based autonomous operation systems.

Kim Geunkyo, Head of Global Business at NC AI, stated, "Through this strategic partnership with the Army Artificial Intelligence Center, we will open a new chapter in the innovation of defense AI in Korea. By combining NC AI's technological capabilities with the Army's field experience, we will build a sovereign defense AI system."

Kim Seongsuk, Director of the Army Artificial Intelligence Center, commented, "We will use this agreement as a catalyst to accelerate the Army's AI transformation (AX) and achieve rapid and effective technology acquisition. We are committed to contributing to the realization of an elite Army based on advanced scientific technology."