UNIST to drive defense AI innovation with Navy, Marine Corps

Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) said Friday it had opened a Navy and Marine Corps AI transformation hub in Busan to develop military-specific AI technologies and train specialized personnel.

The new Navy and Marine Corps AX (AI transformation) hub is one of five national defense AX centers being established across the country to advance defense AI technology and build a pipeline of expert personnel.

The five defense AX hubs are each tailored to the characteristics of their respective branches — the Navy and Marine Corps hub in Busan, the Joint Chiefs of Staff hub in Yongsan, Army hubs in Pangyo and Daejeon, and an Air Force hub in Yangjae. UNIST will lead the maritime domain, supporting AI technology development and field deployment for the Navy and Marine Corps.

The Busan hub will operate as a collaborative platform combining the university's AI research and education capabilities with the military's data and operational experience and industry expertise.

A particular focus will be placed on developing foundational AI technologies tailored to the Navy and Marine Corps and building a testbed to apply them in actual defense settings.

Training personnel who can deploy AI in real military missions is another core objective. The hub plans to leverage the university's education and research strengths to secure defense AI specialists and to establish a cooperative framework that feeds the military's technology needs back into research and development.

UNIST will also align its efforts with Busan's push to build a maritime AI belt. The plan envisions a collaborative ecosystem in which the region's AI research capabilities and industrial base are channeled into defense and maritime technology development, with research outcomes feeding directly into the field.

The opening ceremony, held under the theme "A maritime powerhouse opened by AI, the AI transformation beginning in the maritime capital," featured a vision declaration, a plaque unveiling, and exhibitions and demonstrations of key research projects.

UNIST President Park Jong-rae said the Navy and Marine Corps AX hub would serve as "a hub connecting the university's research achievements to solutions for the defense field," adding that UNIST would "expand its research and education capabilities into the defense and maritime sectors on the foundation of military-industry-academia cooperation."