[Edaily Reporter Choi Oh-hyun ] SamsungElectronics announced on the 12th that it is recruiting trainees for the 17th cohort of the Samsung Youth SW & AI Academy (SSAFY).

SamsungElectronics will accept applications for the 17th cohort of SSAFY from the 26th of this month through the 9th of next month. SSAFY is SamsungElectronics’ flagship corporate social responsibility program, providing training to enhance young people’s software (SW) and artificial intelligence (AI) skills, along with a variety of employment support services.

Eligible applicants are unemployed young people aged 29 or younger; anyone who has graduated or is set to graduate from a university or a designated domestic Meister High School may apply, regardless of their major. Trainees will receive one year of fully funded training starting next January at five campuses nationwide—in Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, Gumi, and the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region—and will also receive a monthly educational support allowance worth 1 million won.

For this 17th cohort, the program plans to select the largest number of trainees in its history by expanding the recruitment quota. The specialized curriculum has also been revised to reflect industry demands. It has shifted from a focus on development languages such as Python and Java to an emphasis on AI applications. Accordingly, trainees can choose between the “AI Application Track” and the “Physical AI1 Track” based on their career goals to develop advanced skills.

The “AI Application Track” focuses intensively on developing the skills needed to create AI services and AI agents² applicable in real-world settings, keeping pace with the rapidly evolving AI Transformation (AX) trend. Trainees will learn the latest AI technologies and tools while directly planning, implementing, and validating web- and app-based AI services capable of solving business problems.

The “Physical AI Track” aims to develop on-device AI and robotics solutions, which have recently garnered significant attention. By learning sensor control and edge device³ technologies, participants will gain a differentiated experience that goes beyond simple theoretical understanding to build practical AI systems integrated with hardware.

The program follows an AI curriculum designed in collaboration with faculty from leading Korean universities, including Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and KAIST. Trainees are provided with state-of-the-art infrastructure—such as high-performance GPU servers and 3D printers for Physical AI hands-on training—at no cost.

In particular, 1,205 hours—approximately 70% of the total one-year program—are dedicated exclusively to AI training, helping young people develop solid AI technical skills.

Since launching its first cohort in December 2018, SSAFY has seen a cumulative total of over 11,000 graduates through its 13th cohort. Of these, 9,396 have secured employment at various companies, including IT firms and INDUSTRIALBANKOFKOREA, resulting in an employment rate of approximately 85%. When including trainees who secured employment early, the cumulative number of employed graduates has surpassed 10,000. The number of companies offering benefits to SSAFY graduates—such as exemption from the initial document screening or bonus points during the hiring process—has exceeded 185.