NCAI Chosen for Independent AI Foundation Model, Showcases Innovation

Recognition of NC AI for 14 Years of AI Innovation

NC AI, a subsidiary of NCsoft, has gained significant recognition for its extensive research and development in artificial intelligence over the past 14 years. The company has been selected as one of the five consortiums participating in the 'Independent AI Foundation Model' project. This initiative aims to enhance national AI sovereignty and maintain industrial competitiveness by identifying leading AI companies.

While other companies such as Krafton have joined the consortium led by SK Telecom, NCsoft stands out as the sole game company leading the project. NC AI, which was initially responsible for AI research within NCsoft, was spun off in February. It is considered one of the longest-standing AI entities in Korea, having established an independent AI organization inside NCsoft as early as 2011—well before AI became a widely recognized industry focus.

Over the years, NC AI has accumulated expertise in various technological domains, including emotional voice synthesis, game scenario-based natural language processing (NLP), facial motion animation, and 3D vision-based robotics. These innovations have positioned NC AI as a key player in the AI landscape.

Expanding the AI Ecosystem

The consortium led by NC AI includes 54 institutions, ranging from domestic academic and research organizations to major enterprises. Notable participants include ETRI, KAIST, Korea University, Seoul National University, Yonsei University, AI Works, POSCO DX, Lotte Innovate, HL Robotics, InterX, MediaGen, MBC, and NHN. Additionally, 40 major groups from Lotte and POSCO are involved. This collaboration aims to build a comprehensive AI ecosystem that supports Korea's digital sovereignty.

Central to the consortium’s efforts is the development of its own large language model (LLM) called VARCO. The consortium's focus extends beyond individual technologies to fostering a broader AI ecosystem. The goal is to ensure that AI advancements benefit not only the technology sector but also the wider economy and society.

Key Projects and Models

VARCO LLM and VARCO Vision 2.0 are among the representative models developed by NC AI. VARCO Vision 2.0, with parameters of 14 billion and 1.7 billion, has demonstrated superior performance compared to global equivalent state-of-the-art (SOTA) multimodal models. It has already been applied in areas such as fashion, games, smart cities, and manufacturing. Notably, it supports on-device AI environments that can operate in real-time on smartphones and PCs, marking a significant step in domestic AI innovation.

The consortium has set several objectives, including developing scalable multimodal generation foundation models for industrial AI conversion, creating a large-scale language foundation model package with global performance, and building platforms that support the industrial spread of independent AI. They also aim to develop industry-specific foundation models tailored for manufacturing, distribution, robotics, content creation, and public sectors.

Strategic Initiatives and Future Goals

NC AI plans to support industrial AI transformation through the integration of the Domain Ops platform and B2BSI business. The company will emphasize usability and device compatibility by releasing models and supporting various inference frameworks. Additionally, they aim to contribute to the establishment of an AI ecosystem by linking government services to the public using multimodal recognition and generation technology.

The consortium covers the entire cycle from data collection and preprocessing to algorithm design, industrial application, AI semiconductor (NPU) linkage, open-source disclosure, and global commercialization. As the technical general leader, NC AI will act as an 'AI Hub,' connecting the strengths of each participant and incorporating industry feedback in real time.

Collaborations with NHN and Mobilint will focus on optimizing NPU-based solutions and demonstrating edge devices like drones and robots. These initiatives aim to verify the effectiveness of AI transitions directly in practical settings.

Open-Source Contributions and Global Impact

NC AI is actively engaging in the global open ecosystem while maintaining its role as a national project. The open-source release of VARCO Vision 2.0 has seen over 10,000 downloads in just 10 days, highlighting its significance as a high-performance lightweight multimodal model. This achievement demonstrates both the potential for global proliferation of Korean AI technology and the reliability of domestic models.

Starting with the selection of the national team, NC AI has announced plans to advance the next-generation VARCO series, develop industrial-specific LLMs, enhance multimodal AI technology, collaborate with talent training institutions, and expand field-specific AI demonstrations.

Lee Yeon-soo, CEO of NC AI, emphasized that this success is due to the collective effort of research institutes and companies. He believes that technology must be protected by people and that sincere collaboration can save the country and industry. NC AI remains committed to fulfilling its role as a Korean AI company that achieves technological independence, industrial demonstration, and global contribution.