• Samsung has been selected as a vendor partner for the Hyper AI Network initiative in South Korea
• It will work with KT Corp. and SK Telecom on private AI-RAN network deployments at major enterprises
• Samsung is providing its Network in a Server (NIS) technology for physical AI (robot) trials at a shipyard and a petrochemical plant

Samsung Electronics has signed contracts with South Korean telcos KT Corp. and SK Telecom for their private network AI-RAN projects under the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT)’s Hyper AI Network initiative that brings together network operators, technology vendors and other industry partners. 

Samsung will be the sole global vendor for KT Corp, and the main vendor for SK Telecom. “Building on its decades-long partnerships with the country’s leading operators and its leadership in software-driven, AI-native network innovation, Samsung is the only partner selected for both projects,” the company noted. 

Set to begin in October 2026, the projects will “deploy 5G Standalone (SA) private networks across industrial environments, ranging from shipyards to petrochemical facilities, to validate AI-RAN capabilities and generate real-world insights for future deployments,” noted Samsung. 

“The collaboration aims to accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, including AI-RAN, physical AI [robots] and autonomous operations, while laying the groundwork for the transition to 6G,” it added. 

The vendor is already working with its telco partners on specific projects. 

In the south-west of South Korea, at the Yeongam Shipyard of global shipbuilder HD Hyundai Samho, Samsung is working with KT Corp. to carry out field trials of “key physical AI services, ranging from welding and painting robots in manufacturing environments to autonomous robots for telecom facility operations,” noted the vendor.

For the AI-powered quadruped welding robot use case, Samsung will supply a number of solutions, including its Network in a Server (NIS) – an integrated edge AI platform comprising virtualised RAN (vRAN), AI core and AI applications – and its CognitiV Network Operations Suite (NOS) for intelligent network automation. “Leveraging 5G connectivity and the edge AI platform, the quadruped robot can autonomously perceive its working environment and perform precise welding,” noted Samsung. 

The NIS, which is designed to enable local processing at on-premises deployments, runs vRAN and 5G Standalone (5G SA) core software on an edge server from Supermicro that houses an AMD EPYC 8004 CPU and runs the Wind River Cloud Platform.

Jongsik Lee, an executive VP at KT Corp, noted: “KT views this project as an important starting point for validating the next-generation communications paradigm where AI and networks converge. Together with Samsung, we will demonstrate a range of physical AI services in an AI-RAN-enabled private network environment and secure the key technologies and service models that will lead the AI-native 6G era.”

With SK Telecom, Samsung is to “validate physical AI services” at SK Incheon Petrochem, a major energy hub for the Seoul metropolitan area, where the vendor is also supplying its NIS platform 

One such service is the operation of an “autonomous robot that patrols hazardous areas” supported by CCTV-based monitoring. “The patrol robot transfers high-definition videos in real time while on the move, enabling AI analysis to detect potential hazards and facilitate integrated monitoring,” noted Samsung. 

Takki Yu, head of the Network Technology Office at SK Telecom, stated: “At SK Telecom, we believe AI creates greater value when paired with the right foundation to support it, and this project puts that belief into practice. Drawing on our AI expertise, we will work with Samsung to validate physical AI services in real-world environments and advance AI-RAN as a key technology underpinning the government’s Hyper AI Network initiative and its AI Highway agenda.”

June Moon, head of R&D at Samsung’s Networks Business, stated: “Korea has long stood at the forefront of global digital and technological advancement. As a key partner with deep roots in this region, we are proud to drive the next stage of network innovation alongside leading operators through these AI-RAN projects. As AI evolves toward embodied intelligence, networks are becoming platforms that connect a new generation of intelligent machines, including humanoids and autonomous vehicles. Bringing AI-RAN and physical AI together in real-world industrial settings marks a meaningful step toward the future of connectivity.” 

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV