AMD and Upstage join forces to accelerate Korea's sovereign AI ambitions
AMD and South Korean AI startup Upstage have expanded their partnership to boost next-generation artificial intelligence development. The collaboration will focus on strengthening Korea's domestic AI ecosystem and advancing its sovereign AI model. AMD CEO Lisa Su visited the country this week to finalise key agreements with major tech firms.
During her trip to Korea, Lisa Su met with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon. AMD also announced a deal with Samsung to purchase high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips for its next-generation GPUs. The partnership aims to go beyond memory chips in future cooperation.
Upstage, a leading AI innovator in Korea, will deploy AMD's Instinct MI355 accelerators over the next year. These chips will enhance the startup's large language models (LLMs) and document processing engines. Upstage CEO Sung Kim had requested AMD to prioritise Korea in GPU supply, ensuring faster and cheaper access to the necessary hardware. The collaboration aligns with the Korean government's AI foundation model project, which seeks to develop a sovereign AI model. Upstage requires a large number of chips to advance its AI capabilities, and AMD's support is expected to accelerate progress. Both companies aim to diversify Korea's AI infrastructure and reduce reliance on foreign technology. AMD's engagement in Korea follows its 2023 investment in Upstage, though no direct impact on local semiconductor infrastructure has been documented. The latest agreements focus on AI development rather than manufacturing or supply chain changes.
The partnership between AMD and Upstage will provide critical hardware for AI advancements in Korea. Upstage plans to use the MI355 accelerators to improve its language models and document engines. Meanwhile, AMD's deal with Samsung ensures a steady supply of HBM chips for future GPU production.
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