• Approved in just 45 business days after filing on May 21, the shortest approval period among KOSDAQ technology special listing companies in 2026
• Targeting the global AI infrastructure market with Backend.AI, a unified GPU operations platform

Lablup (CEO Jeongkyu Shin), an artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure software company, announced on July 30 that it has received preliminary review approval for listing on the KOSDAQ market from the Korea Exchange (KRX). The approval came just 45 business days after the company filed its preliminary listing review application on May 21, marking the shortest approval period among all KOSDAQ technology special listing companies in 2026. NH Investment & Securities is serving as the lead underwriter.

Founded in 2015, Lablup is an AI infrastructure platform company specializing in improving the operational efficiency of high-performance computing resources, including GPUs, that are essential for AI technologies. Its flagship product, Backend.AI, is a software platform that provides unified management of computing resources required for AI model development, training, deployment, and operations, supporting a wide range of AI workloads from small-scale R&D environments to large language model (LLM) training and production services.

As the proliferation of generative AI and LLMs drives expanded GPU investment from global big tech companies, governments, and enterprises, the competitive benchmark in the AI infrastructure market is shifting from simply securing resources to how efficiently and reliably those resources are operated. In particular, as expensive GPUs are frequently over-allocated to individual tasks or left idle, the importance of operational software that improves resource utilization is growing.

Lablup's core competitive advantages include its GPU virtualization technology, which logically partitions physical GPUs through software installation alone, without any hardware modifications, enabling multiple workloads to run simultaneously, and its proprietary Sokovan orchestrator. The Sokovan orchestrator automatically allocates GPUs based on per-task priority and resource demand, allowing multiple users and AI workloads to efficiently share limited computing resources.

Hardware vendor independence is another key strength. Backend.AI provides unified management of heterogeneous computing resources within a single platform, including GPUs and AI accelerators from NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel, as well as domestic and international NPUs. With support for on-premises, public cloud, and hybrid environments, it can be deployed to match the infrastructure requirements of customers across public sector, financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing, and research institutions.

Lablup recently demonstrated its large-scale AI infrastructure operations capabilities as the infrastructure partner in the Upstage consortium for the government-led "Sovereign AI Foundation Model Development" initiative. In the first phase, the company supported cluster operations with over 500 NVIDIA B200 and H100 GPUs, and in the second phase with over 880, underpinning the training of Upstage's Solar Open 100B and Solar Open 2 250B models. Through Backend.AI, Lablup also provided stable access to a 128-GPU cluster for consortium partners.

Lablup currently supplies Backend.AI to more than 120 sites domestically and internationally, building references across diverse industries and operational environments. Leading Korean companies and institutions, including KT, Samsung Electronics, Shinhan Bank, Hyundai Mobis, LG Electronics, the Republic of Korea Navy, and Samsung Seoul Hospital, use the platform in environments ranging from R&D to production services. Internationally, the company is expanding its global footprint with customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Thailand, and other markets.

Lablup is also broadening its collaboration with global technology companies. The company was selected as the first NVIDIA DGX-Ready Software Partner in the Asia-Pacific region and has established partnerships with Intel, Dell Technologies, VAST DATA, and other global technology firms. Lablup has presented technical sessions and participated as a sponsor at NVIDIA GTC since 2019, serving as a Silver Sponsor for three consecutive years starting in 2024. At GTC 2026, Lablup was one of only three Korean companies, alongside Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, selected for main hall exhibition booths.

Prior to filing its preliminary listing review application, Lablup received A-grade ratings from both professional evaluation agencies designated by the Korea Exchange. With the preliminary review now approved in 45 business days, the company is moving into full-scale public offering procedures.

Lablup plans to allocate the capital raised through listing toward advancing R&D, expanding into global markets, and scaling its infrastructure. In particular, the company plans to accelerate overseas expansion in North America, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East in response to growing global AI infrastructure investment and the strengthening of sovereign AI policies worldwide.

"We are very pleased to have received the preliminary listing review approval in the shortest period among KOSDAQ technology special listing companies this year, in recognition of the AI infrastructure technology and commercialization capabilities Lablup has built over the years," said CEO Jeongkyu Shin. "With this approval as a milestone, we will thoroughly prepare the remaining public offering procedures to achieve a successful KOSDAQ listing."