AI services company ESTsoft (CEO Jung Sang-won) announced on the 28th that it has joined the 'Korea AI PC Alliance (K-APA)' launched to cultivate AI talent and build an ecosystem, and to lead the global market based on this. 

The core of K-APA's launch is to secure competitiveness in the global on-device AI market. On-device AI has been receiving much attention this year. This is because the market's demand for on-device AI has increased due to the rapid rise in infrastructure costs and security issues, which were previously led by Google, Open AI, Meta, and others. 

The companies participating in K-APA include a total of 17 companies, including ESTsoft. The member companies are composed of leading companies and institutions in each field of software, hardware, and talent cultivation for the AI ecosystem, with Intel Korea participating as an advisory company. 

First of all, to build the AI software ecosystem, ESTsoft, along with Saltlux, Polaris Office, i-Scream Edu, Musicflat, E-Cube VR Holdings, and XOSOFT have taken the lead. In hardware construction, companies such as A-Tech, Daewoo Lucoms, TG Sambo, Cinexzone, Intek & Company, Coit, and PC Direct are participating, while educational institutions including the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Korea University of Technology and Education, and Dong-Ah Institute of Media and Arts are cooperating in talent cultivation. 

K-APA, along with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Intel, is actively engaging by operating a 'Global Enterprise Collaboration Program'. This program supports domestic promising AI companies in advanced AI business models and business verification for overseas expansion. Intel's developer tools, software portfolio, and engineering consulting are also provided to help with this. 

In April, a hackathon competition in collaboration with Intel Korea is scheduled to take place. This is to support the cultivation of AI talent by providing various project experiences and employment support. 

Intel Korea, participating as an advisory company, plans to contribute actively to the training of domestic AI talent and the creation of an on-device AI ecosystem for SMEs by supporting various technologies owned by Intel (such as OpenVINO, OneAPI, etc.) and assisting SMEs in expanding overseas. 

CEO Jung Sang-won of ESTsoft said, "We will actively cooperate so that globally competitive AI humans can be applied to on-device AI and many domestic AI software and hardware can be utilized in the worldwide on-device AI market. We will do our best to further enhance our AI competitiveness with our members and ensure that the domestic on-device AI industry secures global competitiveness."