Kim Min-jae (left), chief technology officer at NC AI, and Yoon Suk-june, head of the robot automation center at Posco DX, pose for a photo after signing a strategic business agreement on Friday at the NC AI headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. (NC AI) NC AI said Sunday it signed a strategic business agreement with Posco DX on the joint development of a robot foundation model and for broader technical cooperation.The signing ceremony was attended by Kim Min-jae, chief technology officer at NC AI, and Yoon Suk-june, head of the robot automation center of Posco DX, along with senior officials from both companies. The two sides discussed long-term cooperation plans to enhance competitiveness in robot intelligence technologies and industrial AI.The agreement is centered on technical research for the development of a general-purpose robot AI model capable of serving as the “brain” for various types of robots.The companies will collaborate on joint research on robot foundation models, vision-language-action model optimization, digital twin-based simulation environments, robot intelligence validation technologies, and operation stabilization and technical support.The partnership lays the groundwork for next-generation intelligent industrial technologies through a digital twin-centered testing system. By validating AI models in a virtual environment, the robot’s situational awareness and autonomous decision-making capabilities will be maximized.NC AI, the artificial intelligence subsidiary of NCSoft, will focus its efforts on optimizing the VLA model, a key factor in next-generation robot foundation models, and establishing a digital twin environment.Posco DX, the IT arm of Posco Group, will support the establishment of test environments and technology validation with its experience in automation and robotics engineering. It will also leverage its system-building capacities to help with technology stabilization and operational support.“General purpose robotic technologies are growing rapidly as future AI technologies applicable to various industrial fields,” Kim said. “With Posco DX, we will lead the general-purpose physical AI ecosystem and strengthen our AI technologies.”“Through continuous collaboration with NC AI, we are strengthening our automation technologies and internalizing key solutions in robot control and operation,” Yoon said.