[Edaily Reporter KIM SAE-MI ] “We will connect the clinical experience, technology, and data we have accumulated to open a new AX ecosystem for dental care.”

Kim Jong-won, CEO of DIO Corporation(039840), made these remarks during his keynote speech at the “DIO International Meeting 2026” (DIM 2026) held at COEX in Seoul on the 10th. His vision is to create new revenue streams by combining the manufacturing technology and clinical data accumulated in the digital implant market with AI.

During the event, CEO Kim unveiled “DIO AX,” an AI-based implant treatment platform, and reaffirmed the company’s goal of achieving 100 billion won in revenue from the AX platform by 2030. However, improving the profitability of the existing implant business remains an immediate priority until AX establishes itself as a new revenue stream.

Competing with 1.34 Million Clinical Data Points… Targeting 100 Billion Won in Direct Revenue from AI Platform by 2030

DIO AX is a platform that combines over 1.

34 million

clinical

data points

—accumulated by DIO Corporation over the past decade through its digital implant solution “DIO NAVI”—with LG Corp.’s AI technology. It integrates the entire treatment process—from aligning patients’ cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and intraoral scan data to analyzing anatomical structures, suggesting implant placement locations, and designing prosthetics—into a single AI-based system.

DIO Corporation expects that DIO AX will reduce diagnosis and treatment planning time from the current 30 to 60 minutes to about 1 to 2 minutes. Oh Soon-young, a senior executive at AWS Korea, explained, “(DIO AX is) an AI that prepares data before treatment, reduces the burden during treatment, and maintains the connection with the patient after treatment.”

DIO Corporation envisions two business models for DIO AX. First, it will generate direct revenue through subscription-based services, such as software fees and usage-based charges. Additionally, the company’s strategy is to establish a virtuous cycle in which increased platform usage leads to higher sales of existing products, such as implants, surgical guides, and prosthetic components.

CEO Kim told Edaily that day, “We are maintaining our goal of 100 billion won in revenue related to the AX platform by 2030.” Kim Jae-hyung, Director of DIO Corporation’s Strategic Planning Division, added, “This target is based solely on direct platform revenue, excluding indirect revenue resulting from increased sales of existing products.”

The DIO AX platform is being jointly developed with LG Corp., with Seoul National University Dental Hospital providing technical consulting and AWS Healthcare supporting cloud services. The intellectual property (IP) rights for the platform belong 100% to DIO Corporation, and DIO Corporation retains 100% of the revenue generated by the platform without any revenue sharing with LG Corp.

DIO Corporation plans to complete technical validation in the first quarter of 2027, then verify market viability primarily among existing customers, and proceed with sequential commercialization by function after obtaining global regulatory approvals. No specific figures regarding the number of paying customers or profitability projections needed to achieve these goals have been provided yet.
Challenge

of Improving Profitability Before AX Commercialization… Breakthrough Through New Products and Overseas Expansion

The issue is how to improve profitability in the time remaining before the

AX

platform begins generating actual revenue. DIO Corporation’s operating profit margin on a consolidated basis for the first half of this year was 9.9%. Although profitability has been improving since the company returned to profitability last year, critics have pointed out that its profitability remains low compared to competitors.

In response, DIO Corporation stated that it would secure the necessary funds to monetize the AX platform by boosting the profitability of its existing implant business. Oh Yoon-seok, Vice President of DIO Corporation, remarked during an investor relations (IR) briefing that day, “If asked what innovative management strategies we have in place (before profitability improvements for the AX platform gain full momentum), the areas where DIO Corporation is currently performing best compared to competitors are the development of new implant products and the expansion of our global business.”

Until the AX platform establishes itself as a new revenue stream, DIO Corporation’s strategy for improving profitability will focus on launching new implant products and expanding into global markets. CEO Kim stated, “Our new product, ‘UNICON,’ surpassed 10% of total implant sales in some overseas markets within about three months of its launch,” adding, “Sales of the new product have begun in Türkiye, Portugal, and India, and we are planning to launch it in China this coming December.”

In China, the company is preparing for the second round of bidding under the Voluntary Buying Program (VBP) for dental implants. While 252 medical institutions participated in the demand survey for DIO Corporation products during the first round of bidding, that number has expanded to 464 for the second round. The strategy is to increase sales by leveraging a distribution network reorganized around local production facilities in China and major, high-quality dealers.

In Portugal, the company is also expanding its business with large dental service organizations (DSOs). The local subsidiary expects to sell approximately 80,000 implants this year, achieving a market share of about 27%. Going forward, the company plans to combine its AI platform with existing digital equipment and solutions to increase revenue per customer.

Aiming for

a Revaluation of Corporate Value with AX… Moving Beyond Manufacturing to an AI Platform

The unveiling of DIO AX is also significant in that it presents a medium- to long-term growth engine for DIO Corporation—which has suffered from sluggish stock performance over the past three years—to achieve a revaluation of its corporate value. As of the closing price on the 8th, DIO Corporation’s stock price stood at 9,650 won, down 61.32% from three years ago. DIO Corporation’s market capitalization is 129.5 billion won, and its price-to-book ratio (PBR) remains at 0.67x.

It is interpreted that DIO Corporation’s emphasis on its AI platform business is partly driven by an intention to move beyond its perception as merely a traditional implant manufacturer. The strategy is to diversify its revenue structure—currently centered on sales of existing products—into software subscriptions and usage-based billing through DIO AX. In particular, the goal of achieving 100 billion won in direct platform revenue by 2030 reflects a plan to establish a new revenue base separate from the existing implant business.

Cheon Seok-kyu, DIO Corporation’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Vice President, emphasized, “Personally, I believe the current stock price is significantly undervalued relative to the company’s potential and performance,” adding, “Our improved financial structure will serve as the foundation for expanding the AX platform business.”