“We’re Still No.1” — Upstage's Bold Response to Elon Musk

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“We’re Still No.1” — Upstage's Bold Response to Elon Musk

In July 2025, something remarkable happened in Korea’s AI scene. As Elon Musk’s xAI was touting its latest large language model (LLM), Grok-4, a much smaller Korean startup — Upstage — made global headlines with its new model, SOLAR Pro 2, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Big Tech giants.

But what truly captured attention wasn’t just the performance—it was the public exchange that followed.
Elon Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to declare, “Grok is still #1 and improving fast.”
Upstage’s CEO, Sung Kim, replied: “Congrats. But it won’t last long.”

This wasn’t mere social media banter. It marked the first time a Korean-born LLM challenged the world’s largest models — not in ambition, but in actual performance, efficiency, and technological edge.

Upstage’s VS


SOLAR Pro 2: Small, But Unmatched in Efficiency

Upstage’s SOLAR Pro 2 was recently highlighted in the Intelligence Index by the independent evaluation group Artificial Analysis. It scored 58 points, outperforming:

  • Meta’s LLaMA 4 Maverick (51),

  • Google’s GPT-4.1 (53),

  • OpenAI’s GPT-4o (41),

and even Chinese models like DeepSeek V3 (53) and Kimi K2 (57.59).

Here’s the kicker: SOLAR Pro 2 achieved this with only 31 billion parameters. In comparison, xAI’s Grok-4 has 1.7 trillion. Despite this massive size gap, SOLAR Pro 2 outshined many in performance-per-cost — placing it firmly in the “Most Attractive Quadrant” for both intelligence and operational efficiency.

A Public Duel: Elon Musk’s Assertion and Korea’s Quiet Confidence

When Musk shared a post referencing Upstage’s ranking, it could have ended as a casual acknowledgment. But Upstage didn’t hesitate to fire back with a calm yet confident response.

This public exchange was about more than pride. It symbolized a technological milestone for Korea — that even without trillion-parameter models or massive infrastructure, a nimble, optimized LLM could compete on a global stage.

And Upstage is no overnight sensation. Founded in 2020 by Sung Kim, former head of AI at Naver, the company has already earned 10 Kaggle gold medals and has become a recognized force in AI R&D and enterprise deployment.

A Different Strategy: Korea’s Path in the LLM Race

Rather than chase size for the sake of power, Upstage is pursuing a smart, efficient path — one that aligns with global needs for practical, scalable, and cost-effective models.

Key strengths of SOLAR Pro 2 include:

  • Competitive reasoning performance in a compact size

  • Deployable on a single GPU — ideal for enterprises

  • High performance-to-cost ratio

  • Deep optimization for Korean language and real-world business use

This approach supports the idea that Korea doesn’t need to follow the U.S. model to lead in AI. Instead, it can innovate through leaner, smarter, and more efficient LLMs that solve real problems.

What It Takes for Korea to Lead in the Global LLM Space

While the momentum is promising, sustaining it requires strategic action. To emerge as a true global leader in LLM development, Korea must:

  1. Invest in advanced infrastructure – including AI-dedicated supercomputers and chip development

  2. Foster open innovation ecosystems – through collaboration and shared research

  3. Ensure ethical and safe AI development – avoiding bias and misinformation risks

  4. Build for the world – with multilingual, cross-market adaptability

Conclusion: Korea’s AI Isn’t Just Competing — It’s Striking Back

Upstage’s SOLAR Pro 2 is more than a high-performing LLM. It’s a symbol — that Korean tech can now challenge the world’s best not with imitation, but with innovation.

While Musk may say, “We’re still No.1,” Upstage’s message is clear:
“Not for long.”

For the first time, Korea isn’t just consuming global AI technologies. It’s creating them, competing in them, and winning.

The era of Korean AI “catching up” is over. Now begins the era of Korean AI “striking back.”


 Reference Summary

  1. Artificial Analysis (2025)
    “SOLAR Pro 2 scored 58 on the Intelligence Index, outpacing models like GPT-4.1, Claude 4, and Mistral.”

  2. Business Korea (July 21, 2025)
    “Upstage’s SOLAR Pro 2 ranked 12th globally. Elon Musk reacted, saying: ‘Grok is still #1.’”

by pre2w

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