SNU College of Engineering’s Professor Sungroh Yoon’s Research Team Selected for NVIDIA’s Academic Grant Program
- Developing Next-Generation Multi-Modal and Multi-Agent AI Systems
- Demonstrating SNU’s AI Research Capabilities on the Global Stage


▲ (Back row, from left to right, clockwise) Researcher Bong Gyun Kang, Researcher Jisoo Mok, Researcher Dong Hyeok Lee, Professor Sungroh Yoon, Researcher Saehyung Lee

Seoul National University College of Engineering recently announced that the research team led by Professor Sungroh Yoon from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Interdisciplinary Program in Artificial Intelligence has been selected for NVIDIA’s prestigious ‘Academic Grant Program.’ NVIDIA is a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

The selection of SNU for this program highlights the university’s recognition as a key player in global AI research and is expected to serve as a significant turning point in enhancing South Korea’s AI research capabilities.

NVIDIA’s Academic Grant Program is a highly competitive initiative that rigorously selects research teams from academic institutions worldwide, providing them with free access to cutting-edge AI hardware and software essential for advanced AI research.

Modern AI research requires extensive GPU (graphics processing unit) resources, but universities often struggle to secure sufficient computing power due to budget and energy constraints. This limitation poses a challenge in training the next generation of AI experts. To address this issue, NVIDIA operates the Academic Grant Program, offering free GPU resources to highly competitive research teams worldwide.

Professor Yoon’s research project, titled ‘Towards Robust and Trustworthy Multi-Modal Multi-Agent Systems,’ aims to develop next-generation AI systems that enhance reliability and robustness in multi-modal and multi-agent environments.

Through this program, the research team has been awarded a total of 26,000 GPU-hours as a research grant from NVIDIA. These computing resources will be provided via Saturn Cloud, a cloud-based high-performance computing platform, and will be used to advance cutting-edge AI research.

With access to these GPU resources, the research team plans to conduct large-scale experiments and model training, which would typically be beyond the capabilities of a university laboratory. Their work is expected to lead to various research outputs, including conference papers, technical demonstrations, and media content.

Jisoo Mok, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at SNU and a key researcher in this project, expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity: “I am thrilled to be able to conduct research using an unprecedented number of GPUs. The experience of working on advanced AI research with support from a global company like NVIDIA will be invaluable in shaping me into a leading expert in the AI field.”

NVIDIA acknowledged the innovation and societal impact of the research project, stating, “We hope this research will showcase how NVIDIA’s hardware and software platforms contribute to cutting-edge AI research.” This selection aligns with NVIDIA’s strategy to strengthen the connection between academia and industry while fostering a sustainable AI ecosystem.

Professor Sungroh Yoon also highlighted the significance of this support: “NVIDIA’s grant will be immensely beneficial for AI research that demands high-performance GPU resources. It will particularly contribute to enhancing the reliability and practical applicability of multi-modal and multi-agent AI technologies.”

Professor Yoon’s research team has maintained a strong industry-academic collaboration with NVIDIA for several years, co-authoring research papers at leading global AI conferences and achieving significant research milestones together.


[Contact Information]
Professor Sungroh Yoon, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Seoul National University / sryoon@snu.ac.kr