POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa is asking one of the world's largest steelmakers to rethink what its research is for. Speaking at the company's annual technology gathering, he argued that technology built on software should become a product the group can sell, rather than only a tool supporting its traditional businesses.
The remarks came as POSCO handed out its top internal technology honors, including a new set of awards dedicated to artificial intelligence. The winning projects ranged from advanced coated steel to optical components for next-generation augmented reality devices.
A Shift in How POSCO Views Its Technology
Chang delivered the opening address at the 38th POSCO Group Tech Forum, which began on November 10 in Gwangyang, South Korea, and runs for two days. According to a report by Chosunbiz, he urged the group to change its perspective on technology development.
"Our technology is the engine that elevates the value of resources and turns it into real results," Chang said. He added that the group should broaden its business scope and generate new value by commercializing software-based technology, where the technology itself is what gets sold.
The message matters for a company historically defined by physical output. For heavy industrial groups, packaging internal know-how as software or licensable products is one way to open revenue streams that are less tied to commodity cycles.
Energy Transition and AI on the Agenda
Around 800 people attended the forum, including chief executives and staff from major POSCO affiliates. Gajraj Singh Rathore, chief operating officer of India's JSW Steel, was also among the participants.
Discussions centered on two themes: strategies for the energy transition and plans to push forward the group's artificial intelligence transformation, which POSCO refers to as AX. Both topics reflect pressures facing the global steel industry, which is under scrutiny for its carbon footprint while also looking to automation and data to improve efficiency.
Bigger Prizes and a New AI Award
The forum hosted the ceremony for the POSCO Technology Prize, which recognizes employees who have strengthened the group's technological competitiveness and helped spread AI across operations. Fourteen projects received Technology Prizes this year.
POSCO raised the top prize money from 100 million won to 150 million won. The group also introduced the POSCO Group AX Awards, a new category specifically aimed at AI-related achievements.
Corrosion-Resistant Steel Takes the Top Steel Honor
In the steel category, the grand prize went to a POSCO development team behind the PosMAC super ultra-corrosion-resistant coated product. The material is designed to hold up in rust-prone settings such as offshore installations and soils with high salt content.
That durability is expected to help POSCO compete in the market for steel used in renewable energy projects, where structures like offshore wind foundations face constant exposure to harsh conditions.
Metalenses for Lighter AR Devices
In the new growth category, a joint team from the Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (RIST) and Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) won the grand prize for developing mass-production technology for metalenses aimed at next-generation augmented reality devices.
Metalenses use nano-structured flat surfaces to steer light, allowing the team to get past the physical constraints of conventional refractive lenses. The approach could enable smart devices that are smaller and lighter, a persistent challenge for AR hardware makers.
AI-Driven Quality Checks and What It Signals
The top honor in the new AX Awards went to POSCO Pohang's Quality Technology Department, which improved how slab quality is assessed by pairing physical analysis with AI. Engineers integrated AI algorithms into the process to raise productivity.
Taken together, the forum points to an industrial giant trying to position technology, and particularly software and AI, as a business line rather than a back-office function. For startups and technology suppliers, that shift could mean more partnership and licensing opportunities with traditional manufacturers looking to commercialize what they build in-house.
Source: Chosunbiz
