Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) has established the nation’s first specialized educational system in the field of Physical AI, opening a new chapter for the artificial intelligence industry. In August, following its selection as the lead institution for the government‑announced national pilot project “Physical AI Core Technology Demonstration (PoC),” the university has decided to establish a graduate program, the Department of Physical AI Convergence Engineering, to provide related interdisciplinary education.

With this measure, JBNU has completed a full‑cycle system linking Physical AI education, research, demonstration, and industrialization, thereby establishing itself as the undisputed base of Physical AI in the Republic of Korea.

The establishment of the Department of Physical AI Convergence Engineering aims to create the nation’s first graduate‑level system that integratively educates and researches physics‑based AI technologies such as AI, robotics, materials, and energy.

This year JBNU was selected as the lead institution for the national pilot project “Physical AI Core Technology Demonstration (PoC)” and proposed the “K‑Dark Factory” model, which perceives and controls an entire factory as a single, massive robot.

With a total project budget of KRW 38.9 billion (including KRW 21.9 billion in national funding), the project will create a 1,000‑pyeong on‑campus robot demonstration space and, in the long term, build a 55,000‑pyeong (approximately 180,000 m²) “Physical AI Dedicated Campus” to develop into a world‑class industry–university–research hub in collaboration with Hyundai Motor, Naver, SKT, Rebellion, and others.

In addition, JBNU, together with KAIST and Sungkyunkwan University, will jointly operate the nation’s first Physical AI Living Lab, establishing a field‑centered educational system where students can practice in real industrial environments. In the Test Lab, industrial robots, autonomous driving systems, and smart manufacturing processes are reproduced in real time to support client companies in technology validation and improvement.

On this basis, JBNU has formed a mega‑consortium with 532 domestic researchers (including 41 professors and 491 researchers) and partners such as Naver Cloud, Hyundai Motor, SKT, the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI), and the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, serving as the national control tower for the Physical AI ecosystem.

President Yang O‑bong said, 'With the establishment of the nation’s first Department of Physical AI Convergence Engineering, JBNU will become the center for nurturing the key talent that will reshape the AI industry’s landscape. Going forward, we will expand our outstanding faculty and lead the era of AI sovereignty in the Republic of Korea through demonstration‑based education in collaboration with industry and research.'