On Nov 9, 2026, South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and NVIDIA co-hosted the "MSIT-NVIDIA AI Startup Partnership Forum" at COEX in Seoul. Ryu Je-myung, vice minister of science and ICT, joined NVIDIA executives to meet with more than 20 Korean startups across four fields: foundation models, physical AI, AI infrastructure and AI semiconductors. NVIDIA also announced an investment in Korean startup Point2.
Forum focuses on four AI fields
According to NVIDIA's official blog, the forum aimed to connect Korean AI startups with NVIDIA's global ecosystem resources. The more than 20 startups at the meetings span foundation models, physical AI, AI infrastructure and AI semiconductors, reflecting the diversified layout of Korea's AI startup ecosystem.
Point2, the investment target NVIDIA announced, became one of the forum's focal points. Official information shows the investment is part of NVIDIA's global AI ecosystem buildout, but the specific amount and Point2's technical details have not been disclosed.
On-device AI and agent trends run in parallel
Just a day before the forum (Nov 8), QbitAI reported that Qualcomm showcased an on-device MoE (mixture of experts) agent at the ninth China International Import Expo. The technology deploys large-model capabilities onto end devices, delivering a more natural interactive experience through an agent format.
Both threads point to one industry trend: AI is extending from cloud data centers to end devices and agent applications.
NVIDIA is strengthening its ecosystem in AI infrastructure and semiconductors by investing in Korean startups, while Qualcomm is driving the rollout of AI agents from the device side.
What to watch next
- The amount of NVIDIA's investment in Point2 and the specific cooperation terms;
- Point2's technology direction and product progress;
- Follow-up cooperation between Korean AI startups and NVIDIA's ecosystem;
- Commercialization progress and industry impact of on-device MoE agents.