Daegu Positions Itself as AI Industrial Hub
The Future Innovation Tech Expo (FIX) 2025 opens next month in Daegu with an ambitious vision: “The Future Already Begun, All on AI.” This year’s expanded event represents South Korea’s fourth-largest city’s strategic push to bridge its traditional manufacturing prowess with cutting-edge digital technologies. With 585 participating companies—a significant increase from 544 in 2024—and approximately 20% international representation, FIX 2025 signals Daegu’s emergence as a global innovation center.
Acting Mayor Jeong-gi Kim emphasized the event’s significance: “This year’s event not only marks quantitative growth but also demonstrates qualitative progress as a global innovation technology exhibition. With the recent approval of the Regional AX Innovation Technology Development Project, expectations for AI-driven transformation among local industries are high. We will ensure that FIX 2025 serves as the catalyst for innovation and the renewed growth of Daegu’s industrial ecosystem.”
Mobility Revolution Takes Center Stage
The Daegu International Future Mobility & Auto Tech (DIFA) section showcases how electrification, AI, and automation are reshaping transportation. The exhibition covers the full spectrum of modern mobility, including Urban Air Mobility (UAV), electric and hydrogen vehicles, autonomous driving systems, advanced battery technologies, and integrated mobility services.
Major industry players including Hyundai Motor, GM Korea, BYD, Porsche, Volkswagen, HL Robotics, Valeo, and Daedong will present their latest innovations. A dedicated UAM pavilion will offer visitors flight-simulation experiences, providing hands-on exposure to low-altitude mobility concepts that represent the future of urban transportation. These industry developments demonstrate how traditional automotive manufacturing is converging with aerospace and digital technologies.
Robotics Expansion Beyond Factory Floors
The robotics segment (ROBEX) highlights Korea’s ambitious push to extend robotic applications from controlled industrial environments into public spaces and consumer markets. AeiRobot’s Alice—hailed as Korea’s first humanoid developed specifically for shipbuilding and construction—will be showcased alongside other industrial models. Company Co-founder and Hanyang University professor Jae Kwon Han will discuss practical deployment in hazardous environments where human safety is a concern.
The Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement (KIRIA) will display three humanoid prototypes within a scaled-down version of the national robot test field, reflecting Korea’s systematic approach to standardizing safety and certification protocols. This focus on practical implementation distinguishes Korea’s robotics strategy from more experimental approaches seen elsewhere.
Digital Backbone: AI, Semiconductors and Secure Systems
The International Tech & Content Expo (ITCE) section serves as the digital foundation of FIX 2025, covering Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Blockchain (ABB), alongside ICT infrastructure, cybersecurity, semiconductor advancements, and metaverse applications. The National AI Pavilion will feature several firms showcasing models and platforms developed independently from foreign providers, representing a strategic “sovereign AI” approach to strengthen local control over critical data and algorithms.
This comprehensive digital infrastructure showcase demonstrates how Korea’s AI ecosystem—spanning software, semiconductor manufacturing, and secure data systems—is rapidly maturing. The emphasis on domestic capability development aligns with broader recent technology trends toward technological sovereignty in critical infrastructure sectors.
Startup Ecosystem and Corporate Collaboration
FIX 2025’s Start-Up Arena combines two complementary programs—Play & Plug Expo Korea and the Global Innovator Festa (GIF)—to connect emerging companies with established corporations and investors. Play & Plug facilitates partnerships and proof-of-concept projects between manufacturing giants and agile startups, while GIF adds open hackathons, idea pitches, and student competitions to create pathways from academic research to commercial application.
Through cooperation with KOTRA, organizers expect 53 verified international buyers from the United States, Canada, Germany, and Japan—nearly double the 29 participants in 2024. A Large Corporation Purchase Consultation Meeting, coordinated with the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership, will include industry leaders like HD Hyundai, Hanwha, SK hynix, LG Energy Solution, and POSCO DX, offering startups direct procurement opportunities that can accelerate their growth trajectories.
Broader Implications for Industrial Transformation
Daegu’s FIX 2025 represents a microcosm of Korea’s broader industrial strategy, which increasingly focuses on integrating AI across traditional manufacturing sectors. The expo’s timing coincides with significant market trends in global manufacturing, where digital transformation is becoming essential for maintaining competitive advantage.
The convergence of mobility, robotics, and semiconductor technologies under the AI Transformation framework illustrates how previously distinct industrial sectors are increasingly overlapping. This interdisciplinary approach mirrors related innovations in other technology-driven fields where boundaries between traditional categories are blurring.
As manufacturing becomes increasingly data-driven, the ability to analyze microscopic processes gains importance. Research into industry developments at the microscopic level demonstrates how advanced analytics are transforming quality control and predictive maintenance in industrial settings.
FIX 2025 runs from October 28-31 at EXCO Daegu, with organizers projecting over 50,000 attendees from industry, government, and research institutions worldwide.
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