Forum explores industrial cooperation in AI era

FuriosaAI, Kawasaki Heavy Industries among presenters

The Korea International Trade Association and Japan's Keizai Doyukai jointly held the 5th Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable at the International House of Japan in Tokyo on Monday. [Korea International Trade Association]
The Korea International Trade Association and Japan's Keizai Doyukai jointly held the 5th Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable at the International House of Japan in Tokyo on Monday. [Korea International Trade Association]

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) announced Monday that it co-hosted the 5th Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable with Japan's Keizai Doyukai at the International House of Japan in Tokyo.

The Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable is an official consultative body run by KITA's Special Committee on Korea-Japan Exchange and the Keizai Doyukai to strengthen economic cooperation and networking between the two countries' business communities. The forum has alternated between Korea and Japan since its inaugural meeting in Tokyo in May 2024.

This round was held under the theme "Strengthening Korea-Japan Industrial Cooperation in the AI Era." More than 30 business leaders from both countries attended, including Jang Jae-jin, acting chair of KITA's Special Committee on Korea-Japan Exchange and chairman of Orientbio; Honma Masahiko, co-chair of the Keizai Doyukai's Korea Committee; and Muta Masaaki, president of Transcosmos.

Korean AI startups — FuriosaAI, Neubility, Wrtn Technologies and Vurus Technology — joined Japanese firms including NTT and Kawasaki Heavy Industries to discuss concrete areas of cooperation.

"The momentum for bilateral cooperation has grown stronger in the wake of the recent Korea-Japan summit talks," Jang said. "AI is a prime area where both countries can grow together, and it is time for the private sector to deliver tangible results."

The session opened with a presentation by MUFG Bank on global trends and shared Korea-Japan challenges, after which discussions focused on cooperation prospects in AI infrastructure and robotics.

The first session centered on improving data center power efficiency, with presentations by FuriosaAI CEO Baek Jun-ho and NTT Senior Fellow Kawazoе Katsuhiko. Participants shared concerns about rising power demand from data centers driven by AI adoption and explored technology cooperation to improve energy efficiency.

The second session examined how physical AI and robotics can address the challenges of an aging society. Kawasaki Heavy Industries Healthcare Division head Ichikawa Kazuhiro and Neubility CEO Kang Ki-hyuk presented use cases for care robots and AI technology, stressing the need to expand industry cooperation in the field.

Based on the discussions, KITA plans to hold the 6th Korea-Japan Economic Roundtable in Seoul in the second half of this year. The next meeting will review progress on AI and robotics cooperation and work to develop concrete follow-up initiatives.

Meanwhile, KITA has been actively promoting AI transformation (AX) in the trade sector to boost export competitiveness. In April, it co-hosted a "Manufacturing AX Seminar" with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Information Industry Association at Trade Tower in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Last month, it signed an MOU with the Korea Software Industry Association (KOSA) to advance AX innovation and strengthen global competitiveness.


eyre@heraldcorp.com