Lablup
Category: AI Infrastructure
Korean AI infrastructure software company developing Backend.AI, a GPU-virtualization and multi-tenant AI infrastructure operating platform. Lablup was founded in 2015. The company is led by Shin Jung-kyu (신정규). Based in Seoul, South Korea. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: $9.8M. Latest round: Series A. Key investors include LB Investment (lead), IBK Industrial Bank of Korea, K2 Investment Partners, Daesung Startup Investment (Daesung Private Equity), Hana Ventures.
- Founded
- 2015
- Headquarters
- Seoul, South Korea
- Team size
- 11-50
- Total funding
- $9.8M
Value proposition
Makes AI infrastructure accessible and efficient by abstracting hardware complexity through software — delivering the same experience from a single GPU to clusters of thousands, maximizing GPU utilization and lowering AI compute cost.
Products and solutions
Backend.AI (AI infrastructure operating platform / "AI OS" with proprietary GPU virtualization fGPU, multi-tenant GPU orchestration, 12+ heterogeneous accelerator support), Continuum Router (multi-model request routing), Continuum Hub (centralized token usage, policy and billing management), "Token Factory" concept, AI:GO and AI:DOL (launched Jan 2026), CodeOnWeb (online coding education platform).
Unique value
Vendor-agnostic, open-source-based AI infrastructure platform with proprietary GPU virtualization that supports heterogeneous accelerators (CUDA, ROCm, Gaudi NPU, Google TPU, GraphCore IPU) and scales from a single GPU to thousands.
Target customer
Large AI developers, cloud providers, enterprises, research institutions, and public-sector organizations running AI training/inference at scale.
Industries served
AI infrastructure / MLOps, Cloud computing, Enterprise IT, Education, Public sector / government, Semiconductor, Healthcare
Technology advantage
Proprietary fractional GPU virtualization (fGPU) and multi-tenant GPU orchestration; container-based cluster platform; supports 12+ heterogeneous accelerators; deep open-source ecosystem integration (Python Software Foundation, Linux Foundation, CNCF, PyTorch Foundation, Agentic AI Foundation member); Backend.AI reduces failure recovery time by ~47% in sovereign AI operations.
How they differentiate
Vendor-agnostic hardware support and open-source foundation vs. single-vendor stacks; proprietary GPU virtualization enabling fractional GPU sharing and high utilization; full-stack AI infrastructure (workload management, storage, routing, failure response) rather than just GPU supply.
Main competitors
Nota (노타), Moreh (모레), Cocktail.io (칵테일아이오), Data Alliance (지큐브)
Key partnerships
NVIDIA (GTC 2025/2026 participant), KT / kt cloud (MOU for GPUaaS joint development, Feb 2025), VAST Data (Cosmos Partner Program, Nov 2025), Upstage Consortium (Korea Sovereign AI Foundation Model Project, Top 5 elite team, Aug 2025), Boston Limited (UK, Mar 2026), Knovel Engineering & PTC System (Singapore, FuriosaAI
Notable customers
Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Mobis, KT, kt cloud, Shinhan Bank, LIG D&A / LIG Nex1, Samsung Medical Center, Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), Artificial Intelligence Industry Convergence Agency
Major milestones
2015 founded, 2017 first Pre-Series A, 2023 ₩10.5B Series A, Jan 2025 established Lablup USA Inc. (San Jose), Feb 2025 KT GPUaaS MOU, Aug 2025 Top 5 elite team in Korea Sovereign AI Foundation Model Project, Nov 2025 VAST Data Cosmos Partner, Dec 2025 Grand Prize at 22nd Korea Software Technology Awards, Jan 2026 launched AI:GO and AI:DOL, Mar 2026 UK/Singapore partnerships, Apr 2026 Presidential Commendation (ICT Excellence Award), Jul 2026 KOSDAQ preliminary review approved
Growth metrics
46 employees (Aug 2026); 120+ customers; pursuing KOSDAQ IPO (securities registration filed Aug 2026, 2.18M shares, price band ₩20,000–23,000, target raise ₩43.6B–50.1B, implied market cap ₩290.8B–334.5B); NH Investment & Securities as lead underwriter.
Market positioning
Leading Korean AI infrastructure software vendor; positioned as a key player in Korea's national AI computing programs (sovereign AI foundation model project); expanding globally via US subsidiary (San Jose) and UK/Singapore partnerships.
Geographic focus
South Korea (primary), with global expansion into US, UK, and Southeast Asia.
Patents and IP
6 registered patents (per THE VC, as of 2026); proprietary GPU virtualization (fGPU) technology.
About Shin Jung-kyu (신정규)
Founder & Researcher; Google Developers Expert (ML/AI); Director of the Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences (KICS). Long-time open-source contributor. KAIST background.
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Official website: https://www.lablup.com/