Seoul and SNU Build Physical AX Center for Physical AI Startups

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul National University (SNU) have agreed to build a "Physical AX Center" that supports physical AI from field testing through to startup creation. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on 30 October at Seoul AI Hub in the city's Seocho district.

The plan gives substance to the "physical AI leading city" vision Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced at AI Seoul 2026 in January. The city wants to use the whole of Seoul as a testbed, with a focus on care, transport and safety. The center is meant to link the Yangjae AI Cluster and the Suseo Robot Cluster into a "Seoul Physical AI Belt".

Living lab for everyday robots

The city will provide 612 square meters on the fourth floor of the Seoul AI Hub main center and run a governance body that connects AI startups. SNU will validate its own core physical AI technologies there and help startups develop and commercialize products.

The anchor of the partnership is SNU's national research institute for human-centered physical AI robotics, known as H-PAIR. It receives up to 100 billion won a year in central government funding for as long as ten years from the science and education ministries.

The first project is a "Physical AI Daily Life Support Living Lab". It will test strength-assist robots, mobility-assist robots, wearable robots, care robots and serving robots for performance, safety and user acceptance. A test space resembling a real living room and kitchen is due in the first half of next year, with performance and safety checks in the second half. Startups can share the facility, which should cut verification costs and time, and can draw on SNU specialists.

Consortium, startups and talent

Seoul will also run a "Physical AX Consortium" of welfare centers, senior housing facilities, physical AI companies and the SNU institute, aiming to identify needs in care settings and put tested technology into practice.

The partners plan to discover and nurture five promising startup teams by 2028. They will also run training for corporate staff, a creative engineering design camp for university students, a physical AI hackathon, and internship and hiring links.

Kim Young-oh, dean of SNU's College of Engineering, said the university would connect research results to industry and citizens' lives. Kim Hyun-woo, head of the city's economy office, said Seoul would back technology validation and commercialization so that SNU research becomes startup technology used in daily life.