Upstage to Power Its LLM on FuriosaAI’s Next-Gen AI Chip

Upstage signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AI semiconductor startup FuriosaAI to optimize its proprietary large language model (LLM), Solar, for FuriosaAI’s next-generation AI inference chip, RNGD (pronounced “Renegade”).

The agreement marks a major step in combining Korea’s homegrown LLM technology with advanced AI hardware. As part of the collaboration, the two companies also plan to co-develop on-premise generative AI infrastructure powered by RNGD, with ambitions to serve both Korean and international markets.

“This partnership is a meaningful step toward advancing technological independence across Korea’s AI ecosystem, spanning both software and hardware,” said Sung Kim, CEO of Upstage. “Together with FuriosaAI, we’re committed to demonstrating the global potential of K-AI.”

The collaboration comes at a pivotal time. The global AI chip landscape remains heavily concentrated, raising industry-wide concerns about supply stability and cost pressures. At the same time, demand for LLM solutions in Korea continues to grow, with increasing competition from global providers.

By joining forces, Upstage and FuriosaAI aim to enhance the competitiveness of locally developed AI technologies and contribute to a more resilient, diverse infrastructure. Their work together could help unlock new opportunities for scalable, chip-level generative AI deployments.

This is not the first time the two companies have partnered. In 2022, Upstage integrated its Optical Character Recognition (OCR) solution with FuriosaAI’s first-generation NPU, Warboy. Building on that success, the two plan to broaden their collaboration across additional AI applications.