(Yonhap Interview) DeepX eyes '1st mover' strategy in global physical AI market through partnerships with Intel, AMD（韩联社采访）DeepX 计划通过与英特尔、AMD 的合作，在全球物理人工智能市场占据“先发优势”。
SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly moves in...
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SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly moves into the physical world, neural processing units (NPUs) are becoming more important for running AI workloads efficiently on devices.
NPUs are specialized processors designed to handle AI and machine learning workloads. They are among the key technologies enabling AI applications on smartphones, laptops and other devices, such as robots, self-driving cars and smart factories.
South Korean AI chip startup DeepX specializes in designing low-power, high-efficiency chips for edge devices.
Kim Lok-won, chief executive officer (CEO) of DeepX, said the company is expanding partnerships with global technology companies, including Intel Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. and Hyundai Motor Group.
"We are engaging in technical cooperation with Intel, which includes integrating DeepX's NPUs into the OpenVINO ecosystem and optimizing models and software development kits (SDKs)," Kim said during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Thursday.
The partnership aims to provide a seamless plug-and-play experience when connecting DeepX's chips to Intel's systems.
"An initial outcome is expected to come out sometime early next year," he added.
Kim Lok-won, chief executive officer (CEO) of DeepX, speaks with reporters during an interview at the company's office in Pangyo, south of Seoul, on Oct. 15, 2026. (Yonhap)
Since its founding in 2018, DeepX has developed four types of AI chip, including its flagship DX-M1, which has entered full-scale mass production using Samsung Electronics' 5-nanometer process.
Kim, a former engineer at Apple Inc., said DeepX is seeing growing demand for its chips both at home and abroad as more companies seek to integrate AI into hardware products such as smart glasses, autonomous vehicles and drones.
DeepX received 77 purchase orders from more than 10 countries over the 12 months from August 2025 to July 2026.
The company has signed contracts with 27 semiconductor distributors worldwide, while about 300 entities, including more than 100 South Korean firms, are evaluating its products.
Kim said DeepX plans to open branches in Japan and Europe.
"We are pursuing a first-mover strategy to lead the global market by securing core source technologies in cutting-edge fields," Kim said, emphasizing the company's ambition to "plant the first flag" in the emerging physical AI market.
Kim Lok-won (1st row, L), the chief executive officer (CEO) of DeepX, poses for a photo with AMD's CEO Lisa Su (1st row, C) after a round-table discussion with local artificial intelligence semiconductor companies in central Seoul, in this file photo taken Oct. 7, 2026. (Yonhap)
DeepX is also in the early stages of pursuing business cooperation with U.S. chipmaker AMD following Kim's recent meeting with its CEO, Lisa Su, who visited South Korea earlier this month.
DeepX was among the South Korean AI chip companies invited to a roundtable with Su.
During her visit, Su expressed AMD's willingness to build an open, heterogeneous computing infrastructure with the South Korean government and companies, combining different types of processors, including graphics processing units (GPUs) and NPUs.
"I could see AMD's willingness to collaborate and build an open ecosystem with other companies in the field of physical AI," Kim said. "We also received an email from AMD's technical representative, saying they would conduct follow-up discussions."
Kim said DeepX is discussing the possibility of a partnership with AMD and preparing for further working-level talks.
Kim Lok-won (R), the chief executive officer (CEO) of DeepX, speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at the company's office in Pangyo, south of Seoul, on Oct. 15, 2026. (Yonhap)
Regarding its partnership with Samsung Electronics, Kim said DeepX plans to complete a tape-out of a chip designed using the tech giant's 2-nanometer process this month.
Tape-out is a key stage in semiconductor development when a finalized chip design is sent to a foundry for manufacturing.
"The first set of chips is expected to come out around next March or April," he said.
Kim also said DeepX plans to unveil DX-Newton, software designed to manage robot operations using physical AI, later this year. The software was developed to align its inputs and outputs with Nvidia's Isaac robotics development platform, he said.
"When the number of robots reaches thousands or tens of thousands, it becomes difficult to manage them by having humans install an AI model one by one," Kim said. "It's important to have a system where we can distribute new AI models through a network."
Asked about the timeline for a potential initial public offering (IPO), Kim said a stock market debut was not the company's ultimate goal but that he hoped to take DeepX public within the next three years.
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(Yonhap Interview) DeepX eyes '1st mover' strategy in global physical AI market through partnerships with Intel, AMD
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首尔，10 月 18 日（韩联社）——随着人工智能 (AI) 越来越多地进入物理世界，神经处理单元 (NPU) 对于在设备上高效运行 AI 工作负载变得越来越重要。
神经网络处理器（NPU）是专为处理人工智能和机器学习工作负载而设计的专用处理器。它们是智能手机、笔记本电脑和其他设备（例如机器人、自动驾驶汽车和智能工厂）上实现人工智能应用的关键技术之一。
韩国人工智能芯片初创公司 DeepX 专注于为边缘设备设计低功耗、高效率芯片。
DeepX 首席执行官 Kim Lok-won 表示，该公司正在扩大与全球科技公司的合作关系，包括英特尔公司、三星电子公司和现代汽车集团。
金在周四接受韩联社采访时表示：“我们正在与英特尔进行技术合作，包括将 DeepX 的 NPU 集成到 OpenVINO 生态系统中，并优化模型和软件开发工具包 (SDK)。
此次合作旨在为将 DeepX 的芯片连接到英特尔的系统时提供无缝的即插即用体验。
他补充说：“初步结果预计将于明年初公布。”
2026年10月15日，DeepX首席执行官金乐元在位于首尔以南板桥的公司办公室接受记者采访。（韩联社）
自 2018 年成立以来，DeepX 已开发出四种类型的 AI 芯片，其中包括其旗舰产品 DX-M1，该产品已采用三星电子的 5 纳米工艺进入全面量产阶段。
曾任苹果公司工程师的金表示，随着越来越多的公司寻求将人工智能集成到智能眼镜、自动驾驶汽车和无人机等硬件产品中，DeepX 的芯片在国内外的需求都在不断增长。
从 2025 年 8 月到 2026 年 7 月的 12 个月里，DeepX 收到了来自 10 多个国家的 77 份采购订单。
该公司已与全球 27 家半导体分销商签订合同，同时约有 300 家实体（包括 100 多家韩国公司）正在评估其产品。
金表示，DeepX计划在日本和欧洲开设分公司。
金表示：“我们正采取先发制人的战略，通过掌握尖端领域的核心技术，引领全球市场。”他强调了公司在新兴的物理人工智能市场“插上第一面旗帜”的雄心壮志。
这张摄于2026年10月7日的资料照片显示，DeepX首席执行官金乐元（第一排左）在首尔市中心与当地人工智能半导体公司举行圆桌会议后，与AMD首席执行官苏姿丰（第一排中）合影。（韩联社）
在金正日与美国芯片制造商 AMD 首席执行官苏姿丰 (Lisa Su) 会面后，DeepX 也正处于与 AMD 寻求业务合作的早期阶段。苏姿丰于本月初访问了韩国。
DeepX是受邀与苏姿丰举行圆桌会议的韩国人工智能芯片公司之一。
访问期间，苏姿丰表示，AMD 愿意与韩国政府和企业共同构建开放的异构计算基础设施，将不同类型的处理器（包括图形处理器 (GPU) 和 NPU）结合起来。
金表示：“我看到了AMD在物理人工智能领域与其他公司合作并构建开放生态系统的意愿。我们也收到了AMD技术代表的邮件，表示他们将进行后续讨论。”
Kim表示，DeepX正在与AMD探讨合作的可能性，并准备进行进一步的工作层面会谈。
2026年10月15日，DeepX首席执行官金乐元（右）在位于首尔以南板桥的公司办公室接受韩联社采访。（韩联社）
关于与三星电子的合作，金表示，DeepX计划在本月完成采用这家科技巨头的2纳米工艺设计的芯片的流片。
芯片流片是半导体开发中的一个关键阶段，在这个阶段，最终的芯片设计会被送到代工厂进行制造。
“第一批芯片预计将于明年三月或四月左右面世，”他说。
金还表示，DeepX计划在今年晚些时候推出DX-Newton软件，该软件旨在利用物理人工智能来管理机器人操作。他说，该软件的开发是为了使其输入和输出与英伟达的Isaac机器人开发平台保持一致。
金说：“当机器人数量达到数千甚至数万台时，如果让人工逐个安装人工智能模型，管理起来就非常困难。因此，建立一个可以通过网络分发新人工智能模型的系统至关重要。”
当被问及潜在的首次公开募股（IPO）的时间表时，金表示，上市并不是公司的最终目标，但他希望在未来三年内让 DeepX 上市。
fairydust@yna.co.kr (完)
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（韩联社采访）DeepX 计划通过与英特尔、AMD 的合作，在全球物理人工智能市场占据“先发优势”。