South Korean artificial intelligence expert Data Design Engineering is setting up its European headquarters in Luxembourg. The company decided to come here due to its quickly expanding client network, the opportunity to establish research partnerships and the exceptionally supportive Luxembourg ecosystem.
Lena Mårtensson
Founded in Seoul, South Korea, in 2014, Data Design Engineering (DDE) develops data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and services for various industries and products. Specialising in data modelling and machine learning technologies, the company aims to create an ecosystem of data that naturally adjusts to changing variables. “We are currently one of the leading AI solutions and services providers in the Asian markets,” confirms Jiyon Jang, Project Manager and Senior Researcher at DDE. “Our biggest markets include South Korea, China and Singapore.”
The company is now expanding in Europe, with Luxembourg as its epicentre. “As the interest for our offering grew in Europe, we decided to set up a HQ that could act as our central business hub for the European market. We were researching suitable European locations when we established contacts with several potential customers in Luxembourg who invited us to come for meetings here,” recalls Ms Jang. That was all it took for the company to discard its ideas of other European locations.
The friendliness, hospitality and supportiveness of everyone we met really struck us. This drove us to decide that Luxembourg would be our new home.
“The fact that our most supportive clients – special purpose nuclear/space machines specialist GRADEL and accounting and auditing company BDO, for example – are in Luxembourg was of course a decisive factor,” confirms Ms Jang. “We also met with national innovation agency Luxinnovation and other players, and the friendliness, hospitality and supportiveness of everyone we met really struck us. This drove us to decide that Luxembourg would be our new home.”
Another key contact for Data Design Engineering is the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). “We are in talks with LIST, and once we are fully established in Luxembourg we hope to set up joint R&D projects together with them,” says Ms Jang. DDE currently develops customised data and AI solutions for its customers, but the long-term vision of the company is to make its technologies available to broader society and decrease their costs.
Together with local research centres, we hope to be able to work on quantum computers and quantum systems for everyday use.
“In order to achieve this, a lot of R&D is still needed. LIST would be an excellent partner, and we plan to hire PhD and graduate students so that we can benefit from their academic knowledge and research expertise while giving them the opportunity to learn about actual applications of these technologies in the business world.”
Automatic data labelling is another R&D focus. “The arrival of quantum computers makes it possible for deep learning to advance substantially, but this requires data to be labelled, filtered and processed automatically. Today, much programme coding and data handling is done manually, which is very time and cost consuming. We want to build a system for automatic data labelling and make AI and deep learning available to SMEs and others who want to benefit from technology but do not have huge budgets. Together with local research centres, we hope to be able to work on quantum computers and quantum systems for everyday use.”
With the Luxembourg offices ready to receive the first full-time staff, DDE’s focus is now on recruiting the local team. “We already have the first candidates,” confirms Ms Jang. “We are also working with potential clients in Switzerland, France, the UK and so on – all over Europe, in fact. Our Luxembourg business is clearly taking off.”
Photo credit: Data Design Engineering
