PC Rooms' Leftover GPUs Power AI… Investors Captivated by Cloud Platform

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"The biggest burden for AI (artificial intelligence) service companies is the cost of 'inference infrastructure,' such as servers and GPUs (graphics processing units), that support fast and stable AI responses. AIEEV has built a distributed virtual cloud infrastructure by connecting idle PC resources remaining in homes or PC rooms, significantly reducing operating costs."

Cha Woo-jin, senior analyst at Bluepoint Partners, explained the rationale behind investing in AIEEV (AIEEV), a startup specializing in distributed AI clouds. Recently, AIEEV secured 600 million won in pre-Series A funding from Bluepoint Partners, Low Partners, and the AI Angel Club. The cumulative investment raised so far amounts to 2.1 billion won.

Operating AI services requires high-performance GPUs capable of processing large volumes of data and data centers equipped with them. However, the price of a single high-performance GPU for AI data centers ranges from approximately 33 million to 53 million won, making it extremely costly to secure thousands of units. This heavy burden of purchasing and operating GPUs is cited as the primary reason why AI companies struggle to expand services or generate profits.

Senior analyst Cha Woo-jin stated, "Operating AI services requires building or leasing data centers, which involves significant costs, along with ongoing maintenance expenses such as electricity and cooling fees. Consequently, many companies find it difficult to sustain their services in the long term."

AIEEV addressed this issue by connecting idle GPU resources scattered across the globe into a single network. For instance, it collaborates with PC rooms nationwide, linking GPUs from computers unused by customers via a network for targeted utilization.

Senior analyst Cha added, "AIEEV has formed a partnership with a company managing 4,000 PC rooms nationwide. Since each PC room typically houses an average of 70 to 100 PCs, even if only some are equipped with high-performance GPUs, it can secure resources equivalent to tens of thousands of units."

AIEEV developed 'Air Cloud,' a network-based AI cloud platform that operates by connecting distributed resources without relying on data centers. According to the company, client companies have experienced cost savings of up to 80% compared to existing commercial clouds.

Existing major clouds are complex to operate and manage, making them difficult for startups to handle easily. Stable management of multiple GPUs requires specialized personnel, which itself poses a significant burden for startups when hiring such high-level talent.

Senior analyst Cha noted, "The Air Cloud demo demonstrated that AI models can be executed and deployed with just a few clicks, without complex infrastructure setup or specialized personnel. This eliminates the need to hire dedicated infrastructure management experts, which is a major advantage for customers."

Air Cloud not only features automatic resource scaling on demand but also strengthened security designs such as encrypting communications between nodes, preventing unauthorized internal access to data. Senior analyst Cha remarked, "This high level of security structure was a key factor in our investment decision."

The ability to implement a platform that ensures both technical stability and security stems from the capabilities of AIEEV's founding team, specialized in distributed computing systems. AIEEV's Park Se-jin (CEO) earned a Ph.D. in system software from POSTECH's Department of Computer Science and worked as a manager at SK Telecom's Comprehensive Technology Institute starting in 2016. Currently, he serves as an adjunct professor at the Department of Computer Science at Kyungpook National University.

Additionally, the founding team consists of graduates in system programming and computer science from KAIST, Korea University, and Yonsei University. Veterans with over 15 years of experience from companies such as LG, KT, and Tmax have taken on core development roles. Senior analyst Cha evaluated, "AIEEV is a team with differentiated competitiveness in the high-barrier AI infrastructure sector and has significant potential to lead the next-generation AI infrastructure market."

Technical validation is also progressing rapidly. Since its establishment in January 2024, AIEEV has filed 10 patents within just one year and secured two commercial clients. Currently, it is advancing market expansion by conducting PoCs (proof of concept) with over ten companies. Furthermore, the company is participating in major IT firms' technology and business validation programs, including the 'SHIFT' open innovation program led by Bluepoint Partners and LG Uplus, Samsung C-Lab, and SK Telecom's AI Accelerating initiative, demonstrating the viability and competitiveness of its distributed AI cloud platform.

[MoneyToday Startup Media Platform Unicorn Factory]