Krafton, Nvidia deepen 'physical AI' alliance as chairs meet at Seoul PC bang

PUBG fan event features Nvidia RTX Spark collaboration

PUBG Ally demo, gaming cooperation also on the agenda

Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-gyu (left) and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang greet each other outside a PC bang in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Sunday. [Krafton]

Krafton is accelerating its AI technology alliance with Nvidia following a meeting between Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-gyu and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, with the partnership set to expand beyond existing game collaboration into robotics and physical AI.

Krafton said Sunday that Chang and Huang attended a PUBG fan event at a PC bang in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Also present were Jang Tae-seok, head of the PUBG IP franchise, and Lee Kang-wook, Krafton's chief AI officer.

The two executives used the occasion to reaffirm plans to deepen AI-driven technology cooperation. Discussions covered technical collaboration to optimize Krafton titles — including Battlegrounds and inZOI — for the RTX Spark platform, as well as in-depth talks on robotics.

The event offered a range of programs for attendees. A guerrilla fan meeting and event match between PUBG influencers and gamers kicked off the festivities.

Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-gyu (left) and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang meet at a PUBG fan event held at a PC bang in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Sunday. [Krafton]

Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-gyu (left) and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang attend a PUBG fan event at a PC bang in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Sunday. [Krafton]

Executives from both companies handed out prizes for a quiz event and a raffle. The event also featured live demonstrations of Battlegrounds and PUBG Ally running on the RTX Spark platform.

The two companies share a long history of AI collaboration. In January last year, Krafton unveiled PUBG Ally — an AI character co-developed with Nvidia — built on Nvidia's ACE technology using an on-device small language model. PUBG Ally is scheduled to launch in beta on Battlegrounds Arcade this month.

In April last year, Krafton CEO Kim Chang-han and other senior executives visited Nvidia's headquarters in California to discuss next-generation technology cooperation with Huang, including in robotics. Earlier this year, Krafton established a subsidiary called Ludo Robotics to pursue AI research for humanoid robots.

"Krafton is where it is today because of the fans who have stood by Battlegrounds for so long," Chang said. "Going forward, Krafton will build on its collaboration with Nvidia to create new experiences not only in gaming but in AI as well."

chami@heraldcorp.com