The company signs the agreement Wednesday at Hanyang University's ERICA campus in Ansan, south of Seoul, with the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone Authority, the university and the city government.
Construction of the three-story building, which will span about 10,000 square meters, begins in November and is due to finish in October 2027.
It is the first large corporate commitment to the Ansan Science Valley district since the industry ministry designated it a free economic zone in January, a project the province expects to draw 2.2 trillion won in production by 2032.
Founded in 2018 inside ERICA's startup incubator, Aei Robot machines the frames, actuators and linear drives of its Alice humanoids itself, a rare degree of self-reliance in an industry that leans heavily on Japanese reducers and Chinese magnets.
Its Alice 5 took the Best Custom Humanoid Robot Award at RoboCup 2026 in Incheon in July, and the line surfaced in Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang's opening video at CES 2026.
"This investment concentrates our research and mass-production functions in one place," Chief Executive Eom Youn-seal said.
"We will grow into the humanoid robot company that represents South Korea."
The plant will sit beside the Banwol and Sihwa industrial complexes, where about 20,000 manufacturers will supply components and, the company said, eventually take delivery of the finished machines.
AJP Takeaways
- Aei Robot will spend 40 billion won ($29.5 million) on a research and manufacturing headquarters at Hanyang University ERICA's innovation park in Ansan, breaking ground in November 2026 and targeting completion in October 2027.
- The deal is the first large corporate investment in the Ansan Science Valley district since the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy designated it a Gyeonggi free economic zone on Jan. 15, 2026.
- Aei Robot, a 2018 spin-off from Hanyang University ERICA, builds its own actuators and won the Best Custom Humanoid Robot Award at RoboCup 2026 Incheon in July 2026 with its 170-centimeter Alice 5.
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