ETRI aims to build 'director-level AI scientist' capable of autonomous research by 2035

The era of AI that goes beyond assisting researchers — independently forming hypotheses, designing and running experiments, analyzing data and verifying results — is on the horizon. The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) has set its sights on developing a "director-level AI scientist" capable of autonomously carrying out the full research cycle by 2035.

ETRI held ETRI Conference 2026 on Tuesday at L Tower in Yangjae, Seoul, with about 600 participants from industry, academia and research institutions, unveiling a new R&D strategy to lead the era of AI transformation.

Marking its 50th anniversary, ETRI introduced a new vision: "A warm world where we live together, led by AI and DX innovation." The institute said the vision reflects its commitment to developing technology for people — using AI and digital transformation to support human labor, improve mobility, overcome disability and expand the scope of human knowledge. ETRI will concentrate its research capabilities in five areas: AI-native 6G and satellite communications, safe artificial general intelligence, immersive spatial media, physical AI, and public and industrial AI and DX.

Central to the strategy is what ETRI calls an "AI scientist for all." The plan begins with an "AI research companion" in which researchers and AI jointly form hypotheses and conduct experiments, then advances to a "human-supervised autonomous science system" where AI operates scientific agents and laboratories based on direction from researchers. The ultimate goal is a fully autonomous, full-cycle research system in which AI simultaneously manages multiple research projects.

To that end, ETRI plans to build a Korean AI scientist platform combining a science-specialized foundation model, expert AI agents, hypothesis generation and experiment design tools, a scientific AI operating system, and autonomous laboratory capabilities. The institute also aims to pursue Nobel Prize-caliber research outcomes in connection with the national "K-Moonshot" initiative.

ETRI is also moving to secure technology for AI data centers (AIDC), the critical infrastructure of the AI era. The institute defines an AIDC as a "token factory" that takes in power and data to produce AI computing capacity. Just as power plants in the industrial age converted energy sources into electricity, ETRI describes the AIDC as "the heart of the AI era" — combining power and data with AI semiconductors, high-speed interconnects and computing software to generate AI processing power.

By integrating AI semiconductor, optical interconnect, optical network and AI computing software technologies, ETRI aims to secure key capabilities by 2031, including a 12.8 Tbps optical I/O chiplet and a 3.2 Tbps optical transceiver. From 2032, the institute plans to expand toward a "collaborative AIDC" that links computing resources on the ground with those in space.

"We must combine the ICT capabilities accumulated over the past 50 years with AI to create new growth engines for South Korea," ETRI President Park Se-ung said. "We will lead national missions including the AI scientist and AIDC, and develop the core technologies needed for South Korea to emerge as one of the world's top three AI powers."

Park added that the institute plans to use the conference as a launching point for a new 50 years, shifting to a national mission-centered research framework and consolidating R&D capabilities around AI and DX. He said ETRI would also expand openness and cooperation with industry, academia, research institutions and global partners to accelerate the creation of world-class research outcomes that the nation and its people need.