Nota AI Aims to Set Global Standard with On-Device AI Optimization.
Nota AI Aims to Set Global Standard with On-Device AI Optimization.
Posted October. 17, 2025 14:25,
Updated October. 17, 2025 14:26
- Nota AI, a Korean startup, specializes in AI model compression and
optimization, enabling efficient on-device AI solutions through its
NetsPresso platform and partnerships with global semiconductor companies.
- The company is rapidly expanding internationally, targeting Southeast Asia’s
smart city market and securing contracts in regions like Dubai,
North America, and Europe.
- With strong investment backing and plans for a KOSDAQ listing, Nota AI aims to
become the global standard in AI optimization, making advanced
AI accessible and efficient for diverse industries.
AI technology has become an essential part of our daily lives. With the emergence of large language models (LLMs), AI's potential has expanded significantly, and the industry is rapidly transitioning to an era of "on-device AI" where artificial intelligence can operate on devices without internet connectivity. Nota AI, a Korean startup specializing in AI model compression and optimization, is responding quickly to this shift. CEO Myung-su Chae emphasizes that "for true democratization of AI, we need technology that maintains device performance while reducing AI model size and improving power efficiency."
Nota AI is a technology company that provides the AI model optimization platform NetsPresso and on-device generative AI solutions. Founded in 2015 based on research from KAIST, the company initially started as a typo correction solution provider. In 2018, it transformed into an AI model compression and optimization specialist by shifting to a B2B business model. Chae describes AI technology at the time as "an exclusive club requiring massive computing resources." After completing his master's degree in Knowledge Service Engineering at KAIST, convinced that AI technology could change the world, Chae joined Nota AI and built the company into what it is today by securing global enterprises as clients.
Chae recognized the necessity of on-device AI early on, but deploying large AI models on devices without performance degradation was nearly impossible. The biggest challenge was "automating AI model compression technology." Initially, AI experts had to manually compress models, a process that could take months and naturally suffered from poor scalability and high costs. The solution was not a "service" that compressed individual models, but a "platform" that allowed anyone to easily create optimal lightweight models. This led to the creation of NetsPresso, one of Nota AI's flagship solutions. Users simply input a few conditions such as hardware type, target performance, and compression rate, and the platform explores numerous combinations to provide the optimal model. It essentially transformed an area that depended on AI experts' manual work into an automated system.
Partnerships with Global Semiconductor Companies
Nota AI's core competency lies in "hardware-aware AI compression and optimization technology." While most AI companies focus on model performance itself, Nota AI achieves optimal efficiency by considering the characteristics of the hardware on which AI models actually run. The company can provide specialized solutions for various hardware environments, from general-purpose CPUs and GPUs to ultra-low-power MCUs and AI inference-dedicated NPUs.That edge caught the eye of global leaders like NVIDIA and Qualcomm, subsequently expanding partnerships with world-class semiconductor companies including Samsung Electronics, Arm, Sony, and Renesas. Collaborations with Samsung Electronics, known for rigorous stability and performance verification standards; Arm, which sets global CPU architecture standards; and Renesas, a powerhouse in automotive and industrial semiconductors, show Nota AI's technological competitiveness across diverse industry sectors.
The customer base is equally diverse. From smart cities and mobility to industrial safety and security, Nota AI's lightweight AI solutions are widely deployed wherever on-device AI is needed, including ITS, AI smartphones, CCTV systems, and robots. For example, Nota Vision Agent (NVA), a generative AI solution for video surveillance, can be applied to everything from traffic monitoring to industrial site safety management. Recently, Nota AI became the first Korean company to sign an NVA-based ITS solution supply contract with the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, simultaneously proving its technological capabilities, profitability, and global expansion potential.
The numbers tell the story. Revenue more than doubled from 3.6 billion won in 2023 to 8.4 billion won in 2024. In 2025, the company has already surpassed last year's revenue and projects 14.5 billion won—a fourfold increase in three years. CEO Chae explained that "Nota AI is the world's first AI compression and optimization company to supply directly to semiconductor companies, which means our technology has been recognized as a core component of the hardware ecosystem, not just a software solution."
Global Expansion of K-AI Solutions Based on NVA… Targeting Southeast Asia's 'Blue Ocean'
Nota AI's business consists of two main pillars: platform and solutions. The company secures stable revenue through NetsPresso, an AI optimization platform that automates the entire AI model development process, while targeting global markets with on-device AI solutions built on this foundation. Key solutions include Nota Vision Agent(NVA) for real-time video analysis, Intelligent Transportation Systems(ITS), Driver Monitoring Systems and Facial Recognition(DMS & FR), along with industry-specific safety and selective monitoring solutions that enhance safety and operational efficiency across various industrial sites.
Nota AI is currently pursuing global markets centered on NVA. The Southeast Asian market represents the prime target that Nota AI is watching most closely. The company has partnered with KILSA Global, a Singapore-based global business builder, to enter local markets. CEO Chae assessed that "Southeast Asia is a region with active government-led smart city projects, a young population, and rapid digital transformation driven by high economic growth rates," adding that "it's a blue ocean with abundant opportunities and fewer strong competitors compared to North America or Europe in terms of AI optimization." The plan is to first establish itself as a key player in local markets by supplying optimized solutions for intelligent transportation systems and public safety solutions linked to smart city development.
From there, Nota AI will push into the Middle East, North America, and Europe. The contract with Dubai's transport authority gave it a foothold in Middle East expansion, while collaboration with Sony on smart city solutions in North America secured a foothold for market entry. Europe has high demand for on-device AI technology that simultaneously satisfies energy efficiency and privacy protection due to personal data protection and carbon neutrality regulations. For this global expansion, Nota AI prioritizes partnerships with key local companies. The company is also pursuing portfolio development and regulatory compliance in major global markets including the United States, EU, and Japan, along with thorough localization strategies that consider cultural and industrial characteristics.
Aspiring to Become the Global Standard in AI Optimization
Nota AI is the only company in its sector to secure investments from South Korea's major conglomerates and strategic investors, including Samsung Group, LG Group, Kakao Investment, and Naver D2SF. In April 2024, the company raised 25.8 billion won in Series C funding from eight institutions including Stick Ventures and LB Investment, bringing cumulative funding to 53.2 billion won.
Nota AI is currently preparing for a KOSDAQ listing. Funds secured through the IPO will be invested in recruiting top talent, advancing NetsPresso, and expanding AI solutions in vertical industries. CEO Chae explained that "in the short term, we plan to successfully complete the listing, and subsequently accelerate our global expansion."
The ultimate goal is for Nota AI to become "the global standard in AI optimization." The goal is to create a world where developers naturally use NetsPresso when building AI models and deploying them on hardware, just as certain tools serve as standards in semiconductor design. CEO Chae stated, "We need to lower the barriers to AI so that more companies and individuals can easily utilize it," adding that "Nota AI will become an 'AI Enabler' that leads AI transformation across all industries."
By Moon-kyoo Lee (munch@itdonga.com)
optimization, enabling efficient on-device AI solutions through its
NetsPresso platform and partnerships with global semiconductor companies.
- The company is rapidly expanding internationally, targeting Southeast Asia’s
smart city market and securing contracts in regions like Dubai,
North America, and Europe.
- With strong investment backing and plans for a KOSDAQ listing, Nota AI aims to
become the global standard in AI optimization, making advanced
AI accessible and efficient for diverse industries.
AI technology has become an essential part of our daily lives. With the emergence of large language models (LLMs), AI's potential has expanded significantly, and the industry is rapidly transitioning to an era of "on-device AI" where artificial intelligence can operate on devices without internet connectivity. Nota AI, a Korean startup specializing in AI model compression and optimization, is responding quickly to this shift. CEO Myung-su Chae emphasizes that "for true democratization of AI, we need technology that maintains device performance while reducing AI model size and improving power efficiency."
Myung-su Chae, CEO of Nota AI / source=Nota AI
Nota AI is a technology company that provides the AI model optimization platform NetsPresso and on-device generative AI solutions. Founded in 2015 based on research from KAIST, the company initially started as a typo correction solution provider. In 2018, it transformed into an AI model compression and optimization specialist by shifting to a B2B business model. Chae describes AI technology at the time as "an exclusive club requiring massive computing resources." After completing his master's degree in Knowledge Service Engineering at KAIST, convinced that AI technology could change the world, Chae joined Nota AI and built the company into what it is today by securing global enterprises as clients.
Nota AI named to the 2025 CB Insights AI 100 / source=Nota AT
Chae recognized the necessity of on-device AI early on, but deploying large AI models on devices without performance degradation was nearly impossible. The biggest challenge was "automating AI model compression technology." Initially, AI experts had to manually compress models, a process that could take months and naturally suffered from poor scalability and high costs. The solution was not a "service" that compressed individual models, but a "platform" that allowed anyone to easily create optimal lightweight models. This led to the creation of NetsPresso, one of Nota AI's flagship solutions. Users simply input a few conditions such as hardware type, target performance, and compression rate, and the platform explores numerous combinations to provide the optimal model. It essentially transformed an area that depended on AI experts' manual work into an automated system.
Partnerships with Global Semiconductor Companies
Nota AI's core competency lies in "hardware-aware AI compression and optimization technology." While most AI companies focus on model performance itself, Nota AI achieves optimal efficiency by considering the characteristics of the hardware on which AI models actually run. The company can provide specialized solutions for various hardware environments, from general-purpose CPUs and GPUs to ultra-low-power MCUs and AI inference-dedicated NPUs.That edge caught the eye of global leaders like NVIDIA and Qualcomm, subsequently expanding partnerships with world-class semiconductor companies including Samsung Electronics, Arm, Sony, and Renesas. Collaborations with Samsung Electronics, known for rigorous stability and performance verification standards; Arm, which sets global CPU architecture standards; and Renesas, a powerhouse in automotive and industrial semiconductors, show Nota AI's technological competitiveness across diverse industry sectors.
The customer base is equally diverse. From smart cities and mobility to industrial safety and security, Nota AI's lightweight AI solutions are widely deployed wherever on-device AI is needed, including ITS, AI smartphones, CCTV systems, and robots. For example, Nota Vision Agent (NVA), a generative AI solution for video surveillance, can be applied to everything from traffic monitoring to industrial site safety management. Recently, Nota AI became the first Korean company to sign an NVA-based ITS solution supply contract with the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, simultaneously proving its technological capabilities, profitability, and global expansion potential.
Nota Vision Agent (NVA) / source=Nota AI
The numbers tell the story. Revenue more than doubled from 3.6 billion won in 2023 to 8.4 billion won in 2024. In 2025, the company has already surpassed last year's revenue and projects 14.5 billion won—a fourfold increase in three years. CEO Chae explained that "Nota AI is the world's first AI compression and optimization company to supply directly to semiconductor companies, which means our technology has been recognized as a core component of the hardware ecosystem, not just a software solution."
Global Expansion of K-AI Solutions Based on NVA… Targeting Southeast Asia's 'Blue Ocean'
Nota AI's business consists of two main pillars: platform and solutions. The company secures stable revenue through NetsPresso, an AI optimization platform that automates the entire AI model development process, while targeting global markets with on-device AI solutions built on this foundation. Key solutions include Nota Vision Agent(NVA) for real-time video analysis, Intelligent Transportation Systems(ITS), Driver Monitoring Systems and Facial Recognition(DMS & FR), along with industry-specific safety and selective monitoring solutions that enhance safety and operational efficiency across various industrial sites.
Nota AI is currently pursuing global markets centered on NVA. The Southeast Asian market represents the prime target that Nota AI is watching most closely. The company has partnered with KILSA Global, a Singapore-based global business builder, to enter local markets. CEO Chae assessed that "Southeast Asia is a region with active government-led smart city projects, a young population, and rapid digital transformation driven by high economic growth rates," adding that "it's a blue ocean with abundant opportunities and fewer strong competitors compared to North America or Europe in terms of AI optimization." The plan is to first establish itself as a key player in local markets by supplying optimized solutions for intelligent transportation systems and public safety solutions linked to smart city development.
From there, Nota AI will push into the Middle East, North America, and Europe. The contract with Dubai's transport authority gave it a foothold in Middle East expansion, while collaboration with Sony on smart city solutions in North America secured a foothold for market entry. Europe has high demand for on-device AI technology that simultaneously satisfies energy efficiency and privacy protection due to personal data protection and carbon neutrality regulations. For this global expansion, Nota AI prioritizes partnerships with key local companies. The company is also pursuing portfolio development and regulatory compliance in major global markets including the United States, EU, and Japan, along with thorough localization strategies that consider cultural and industrial characteristics.
Nota AI shared at the 2025 ASF (Advanced Solution Forum) / source=Nota AI
Aspiring to Become the Global Standard in AI Optimization
Nota AI is the only company in its sector to secure investments from South Korea's major conglomerates and strategic investors, including Samsung Group, LG Group, Kakao Investment, and Naver D2SF. In April 2024, the company raised 25.8 billion won in Series C funding from eight institutions including Stick Ventures and LB Investment, bringing cumulative funding to 53.2 billion won.
Nota AI is currently preparing for a KOSDAQ listing. Funds secured through the IPO will be invested in recruiting top talent, advancing NetsPresso, and expanding AI solutions in vertical industries. CEO Chae explained that "in the short term, we plan to successfully complete the listing, and subsequently accelerate our global expansion."
The ultimate goal is for Nota AI to become "the global standard in AI optimization." The goal is to create a world where developers naturally use NetsPresso when building AI models and deploying them on hardware, just as certain tools serve as standards in semiconductor design. CEO Chae stated, "We need to lower the barriers to AI so that more companies and individuals can easily utilize it," adding that "Nota AI will become an 'AI Enabler' that leads AI transformation across all industries."
By Moon-kyoo Lee (munch@itdonga.com)
About Dong-A Ilbo