SK Innovation to co-host 2026 Ulsan Forum on AI-driven manufacturing transformation

SK Innovation will co-host the 2026 Ulsan Forum on Friday with the Ulsan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, focusing on driving artificial intelligence-based transformation in manufacturing and local innovation.

According to the company Sunday, under the “Leading AX, Smart Life Ulsan” theme, the fifth Ulsan Forum will take place at the Ulsan Exhibition & Convention Center.

Proposed in 2022 by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won for SK Innovation’s 60th anniversary, the forum has become the region’s flagship innovation platform, bridging local industry, academia and the community to explore ways to shape Ulsan’s future.

Roughly 300 participants — including key figures such as Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-wook, Ulsan Metropolitan Council Chair Lee Young-hae and Ulsan Chamber Chairman Lee Yoon-chul, alongside SK employees, business leaders, scholars and local residents — will attend the event, which will also be broadcast live online.

The event is sponsored by the Industry Ministry, Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development, Ulsan Metropolitan City, Ulsan Metropolitan Council, University of Ulsan, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology and Ulsan College.

This year’s forum comprises of two sessions — Physical AI Wave and Manufacturing AI Transformation, and AI for Everyone, Smart Local Ulsan.

The first session will explore strategies to drive an AI transition, abbreviated as AX, in manufacturing, the key industry behind Ulsan’s economic growth. Lee Min-woo, industrial growth office at the Industry Ministry, will deliver a keynote speech on the government’s manufacturing AX road map.

Case studies will be presented by the ministry-led M.AX Alliance — a public-private initiative aiming to advance industrial AI adoption by 2030 — followed by panel discussions on physical AI policies.

The final session focuses on building Ulsan’s AI ecosystem where smart technology actively solves regional challenges and improves everyday life. Son Hae-in, head of AI education at Upstage, and Lim Min-hyuk, biomedical engineering professor at UNIST, will discuss navigating the AI era, while AI startups present practical solutions for regional adoption.

The forum will coincide with the World Advanced Vision Expo trade fair, which runs from Sept. Thursday to Saturday at the UECO. At the expo, SK Group will demonstrate how it applies its semiconductor and data center-driven AI expertise in real-world manufacturing.

[email protected]