'Semiconductor momentum must extend to physical AI, manufacturing AI,' forum told

The Herald Business Forum 2026, now in its 10th year, drew widespread praise from attendees for offering strategic insights on how businesses can chart a second wave of growth as AI continues to reshape daily life and industry.

Held Tuesday at Dynasty Hall of the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, the forum centered on the theme "Beyond Follower: Transition to a Leading Economy." Fifteen industry leaders and academic experts from the fields of AI, semiconductors, mobility and robotics took the stage over roughly eight hours of presentations.

Word that senior executives and prominent academics would all appear under one roof drew crowds early, and all 600 seats filled well before the opening remarks, setting an energetic tone for the day.

The dominant theme was semiconductors — South Korea's engine of growth amid the global AI race. Even as some voices have recently called for a slowdown in AI investment, speakers were united in saying the semiconductor industry would continue to supply the momentum needed to accelerate the country's growth.

Jung Eun-seung, an adviser at Samsung Electronics, opened the forum by arguing that South Korea's memory chip industry has created a pivotal opportunity for the country to play a central role on the global stage.

Jung also serves as co-chair of the semiconductor strategy committee for the Jeonnam-Gwangju integrated special city. He presented a roadmap for cultivating the semiconductor industry in the Honam region and drew attention by suggesting the area could rise to become a new industrial hub comparable to Shenzhen, China's technology heartland.

Executives from Samsung Electronics and SK hynix — the two pillars of South Korea's semiconductor industry — then took the stage to unveil their respective next-generation products for the AI era. Samsung introduced "zHBM," a three-dimensional stacked high-bandwidth memory chip, while SK hynix presented high-bandwidth NAND flash, or HBF, a product with a structure similar to HBM. Audience members pulled out their phones to photograph the presentation slides, a sign of the strong interest both products generated.

Subsequent speakers urged South Korea to build on the industrial competitiveness it has gained through semiconductors by developing physical AI centered on robotics and manufacturing AI capable of driving automation on factory floors.

Kwon Seok-jun, associate dean of the College of Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University, said a more detailed strategy was needed to cultivate physical AI and manufacturing AI as growth engines beyond memory chips. Hyundai Motor Company and HD Hyundai then took the baton, presenting real-world innovation cases and strategies for applying manufacturing AI on the shop floor, helping the audience grasp the practical implications.

The forum also featured a special session on brand marketing strategy for the AI era. Noh Hee-young, chief executive of Hino Consulting Firm and a widely recognized brand expert, delivered a 60-minute lecture titled "Branding Rules in the AI Era."

Noh's presentation held the attention of business executives and corporate consultants alike. After the lecture, a line of audience members formed outside the hall waiting to take a photo with her.

The forum's closing session, titled "New Space: A New Orbit of Growth," featured speakers from KAI and LIG, two leading names in South Korea's space industry. Each presenter was given 25 minutes and made liberal use of video clips and graphics to hold the audience's attention. Some attendees took notes or photographed slides as the companies laid out their plans.

Beyond business executives and researchers, 65 university students also attended — members of the Samsung Dream Class mentoring program, the Posco student volunteer corps Beyond, and the Young Leaders Club and Economics Leaders Club, two student organizations affiliated with the Korea Business Federation — and followed the corporate presentations closely.

An employee of EY Hanyoung who stayed until the very end said she had come with colleagues specifically to hear the forum's presentations. "What I appreciated most was being able to hear about the AI business strategies and detailed plans of South Korea's major companies all in one place," she said.