- Investing 3 billion KRW in domestic NPU developer ' Mobilint ' to support group companies' intelligent factories
- Implementing ' Edge AI' directly integrated into on-site control systems to improve manufacturing data security and productivity POSCO DX is pursuing the realization of an intelligent factory capable of immediate AI analysis and control on-site by utilizing domestic NPU to replace foreign GPU and reduce AI infrastructure costs .  

POSCO DX (CEO Shim Min-suk) signed a business agreement with AI semiconductor startup Mobilint (CEO Shin Dong-joo) at the POSCO DX Pangyo headquarters on the 2nd to implement AX utilizing NPU. Prior to this agreement, in February, POSCO DX invested a total of 3 billion won in Mobilint through the ‘POSCO DX Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) New Technology Investment Fund,’ which it co-funded with POSCO Technology Investment. 

NPU are semiconductors specialized for AI computations, such as deep learning and machine learning. Compared to GPUs, they are optimized for AI inference, offering the advantages of reduced infrastructure costs and high power efficiency. In particular, they are suitable for implementing "Edge AI" by being directly integrated into field equipment control systems, bypassing remote AI data centers or servers. This enables immediate inference without data leakage in manufacturing sites where security is critical, thereby ensuring both security and real-time performance simultaneously. 

Under this collaboration, POSCO DX plans to realize an intelligent factory capable of immediate AI analysis and control at the industrial site equipment control stage by integrating Mobilint's NPU into its in-house developed industrial control system, PosMaster. To this end, both companies will jointly pursue technology development and application to ensure that POSCO DX's AI model algorithms deliver optimal performance in Mobilint's NPU-based environment. 

Mobilint is the only company in Korea possessing high-performance NPU technology capable of running Large Language Models (LLM) in edge environments. Mobilint's high-performance NPU enables real-time decision-making and control utilizing vast field data generated from sensors and equipment, and is expected to contribute to accelerating the realization of POSCO Group's intelligent factory.  

POSCO DX plans to expand its edge AI technology to transition existing GPU-based AI systems to NPUs and apply them to various industrial sites, including steel and secondary battery material production facilities as well as logistics.  

Cho Seok-joo, Head of the AX Convergence Research Institute at POSCO DX, emphasized, “Through this collaboration , we have been able to secure LLM-based edge AI technology essential for realizing intelligent factories.” He added, “We will develop this into a successful example of collaboration and mutual growth with a domestic startup, rather than a simple NPU supply relationship, to ensure that POSCO Group establishes itself as a company leading the paradigm shift in manufacturing AI .” 

Meanwhile, POSCO Group is actively promoting the realization of safe and comfortable workplaces based on technology by expanding intelligent factories to manufacturing sites to respond promptly to the industrial paradigm shift, including AX.