Cori’s AI and Manufacturing tour of Korea
ARM Hub CEO Prof Cori Stewart FTSE has returned from South Korea with a clear message for Australia: world-leading robotics and Industrial AI capability is built through coordinated investment, industrial growth and national focus, and Australia has the ingredients to do it.
During her visit, Cori met with leaders across Korea's advanced manufacturing ecosystem, including Doosan Robotics, Bigwave Robotics and Maum.AI, to better understand how one of the world's most manufacturing-intensive economies is deploying AI to strengthen its systems.
The trip highlighted how much the two countries have to offer each other. South Korea has progressively built capability across steel, electronics, semiconductors, batteries, robotics and now Industrial AI. Korea shows what sustained national focus can deliver. Australia is now applying that focus with advantages Korea does not have, including abundant energy, critical minerals and land.
What stood out most was not the scale of investment, but the alignment across the ecosystem. From government agencies and researchers to technology companies and manufacturers, Korea treats AI as an industrial productivity strategy rather than a standalone digital sector. It is the same principle driving Australia's current wave of industrial policy, and one ARM Hub puts into practice every day with manufacturers on the factory floor.
At Maum.AI, Cori saw the development of a full Physical AI stack, designed to bring the technology into real-world industrial environments. At Bigwave Robotics, she explored how the company integrates robots, machinery and even humanoid systems through a single platform, enabling rapid deployment and remote management of manufacturing operations. Discussions at Doosan Robotics provided further insight into how advanced robotics is being embedded across Korean industry.
"The most important observation was that everyone is pulling in the same direction," Cori said. "Government, researchers and companies are united around turning AI into productive industrial capability and doing it at speed. Australia is well placed to do the same, and to do it faster because we can learn from partners like Korea."