AI technology is rapidly reshaping the digital economy, prompting major companies in related industries to launch new strategies. The technological competition among leading players such as NVIDIA (NVDA), OpenAI, and Google (GOOGL) is expected to continue next year. Of particular note is NVIDIA's efforts to defend its dominance in the AI semiconductor field, for example, by advancing a $20 billion (approximately 28.8 trillion won) technology licensing agreement with AI inference chip startup Groq. Google's release of the Gemini model and OpenAI's foray into advertising both indicate that competition in this market has transcended simple model performance comparisons and is evolving into a strategic game involving the overall structure of enterprises.
The initial public offering (IPO) market has also begun to pick up. AI chipmaker Cerebras Systems and Motive, a vehicle management software company backed by Google's parent company Alphabet (GOOGL), have announced IPO plans, aiming for a listing in early 2026. This signifies that the AI industry is once again facing a structural opportunity to attract large-scale funding. This development also suggests that after a period of sluggish investment in the second half of the year, the market is on a recovery track.
China's ByteDance announced a massive $23 billion (approximately 33.1 trillion won) investment plan next year in AI infrastructure. Despite rising regulatory risks in the US and Europe, global platform companies continue to invest in building AI-centric ecosystems. Meanwhile, ServiceNow (NOW) acquired security startup Armis for $7.75 billion (approximately 11.16 trillion won), officially initiating the integration of AI and cybersecurity.
The era of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is shifting towards AI Optimization (AIEO). As AI redefines the concept of search, brands and businesses are seeking new strategies for how their content will be presented on AI-driven platforms. Traditional keyword-centric SEO has reached its limits and needs to be adapted to conversational AI and multimodal search environments.
On the other hand, the expansion of the AI ecosystem is also accompanied by escalating cybersecurity threats. Recently, the well-known AI open-source library "LangChain" was found to have serious security vulnerabilities, and a hacker who anonymously reported flaws in an AI chat system has been embroiled in litigation. This indicates that the expansion of AI services faces two major challenges: technological stability and ethical transparency.
Investment in emerging AI startups is also becoming increasingly active. Dazzle, led by Marissa Mayer, raised $8 million (approximately 11.5 billion won), while early-stage startup Lemon Slice secured $10.5 million (approximately 15.1 billion won) in seed funding for developing real-time interactive AI avatars.
The pervasive influence of AI has not subsided even during the year-end holidays. As technology-driven industrial restructuring accelerates, governments and businesses worldwide have officially begun formulating strategies for the coming year. The development of AI technology has now transcended mere technological progress, standing at a turning point that will rewrite the entire ecosystem of industry, policy, and investment.
