• Selected among approximately 70 candidates following a year of reporting and external expert review to identify 30 people shaping the future of AI in Korea
• Recognized as a key figure in AI sovereignty, highlighting the technology behind Lablup’s proprietary AI infrastructure platform, Backend.AI

Lablup, an AI infrastructure management and operations software company, announced that its CEO, Jeongkyu Shin, has been named to MIT Technology Review Korea’s “THE AI 30: 30 People Shaping the Future of AI in Korea.”

MIT Technology Review Korea selected the final 30 honorees following a year of in-depth reporting and review by external experts to identify key figures driving change in Korea’s AI industry. Approximately 70 candidates were identified based on research achievements, technology development, product launches, investment, and commercialization results announced between September 2025 and October 2026. Candidates were evaluated primarily on their technical achievements, industry impact, and individual contributions.

The selection highlighted ten major areas of change in Korea’s AI industry: AI sovereignty, broader access to AI, physical AI, inference costs, AI-driven drug discovery, technology commercialization, HBM and memory, vertical AI, AI trustworthiness, and talent and collaboration. It introduced the individuals leading progress in each area.

Shin was recognized in the first category, “The Starting Point for AI Sovereignty: Building Core Technologies In-House.” Other honorees in this category included Honglak Lee, Co-President of LG AI Research; Nakho Sung, Head of Hyperscale AI Technology at NAVER Cloud; Hwal-seok Lee, CTO of Upstage; and Jae-min Shin, CEO of Trillion Labs.

MIT Technology Review Korea explained that owning an AI model does not, by itself, ensure technological independence. Organizations also need the computing infrastructure and software ecosystem to operate it. The publication noted that the extent to which organizations can develop and control core technologies across model development, training, and operations will become an important measure of AI sovereignty.

Lablup’s proprietary AI infrastructure platform, Backend.AI, enables efficient management and operation of AI computing resources, including GPUs. The company has developed software technologies that improve computing resource utilization across AI model development, training, and inference while supporting the stable operation of large-scale AI infrastructure.

“I am delighted and honored to be recognized as one of the 30 people shaping the future of Korea’s AI industry,” said Jeongkyu Shin, CEO of Lablup. “We will continue to advance our proprietary AI infrastructure software technologies to help strengthen the technological independence and competitiveness of Korea’s AI industry.”

Lablup is also pursuing a listing on KOSDAQ. The company completed its book-building process for institutional investors over five business days from October 13 to 19. The public subscription period for retail investors is scheduled for October 22 and 23. NH Investment & Securities is serving as the lead underwriter.

▲ Honorees of MIT Technology Review Korea’s “THE AI 30 KOREA 2026: 30 People Shaping the Future of AI in Korea.” Lablup CEO Jeongkyu Shin is third from the right in the second row.