AMD Partners with South Korea to Establish AI Research Center and Heterogeneous Infrastructure
AMD and the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish an AI research center in South Korea. The partnership aims to build a heterogeneous AI computing infrastructure integrating AMD CPUs and GPUs with South Korean domestic Neural Processing Units (NPUs). This collaboration strengthens South Korea's sovereign AI capabilities and semiconductor ecosystem by combining global hardware leadership with domestic chip technology. It also accelerates research in advanced fields like embodied AI and AI for science. The partnership will utilize the National Association of AI Science (NAIS) in Korea as a base, where AMD will supply high-performance computing resources, software support, and technical expertise. The collaboration also extends to talent cultivation and embodied intelligence.
## BACKGROUND
Heterogeneous computing systems improve performance and energy efficiency by combining different types of processors, such as CPUs, GPUs, and specialized NPUs, to handle specific workloads. An NPU is a specialized microprocessor designed to accelerate neural network and machine learning tasks. Embodied AI refers to artificial intelligence systems integrated into physical entities, like robots, allowing them to interact with and learn from the physical world.