One Year of Laying the Groundwork to Become a Global Top-Three AI Power: “Achieving AI Self-Reliance Through Proprietary AI Models and Securing GPUs”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Baek Kyunghoon is talking at the “Ministry of Science and ICT Press Conference” held at Seoul Central Post Office in Jung-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the twenty ninth. From left, Koo Hyukchae, First Vice Minister; Baek Kyunghoon, Deputy Prime Minister; Park Ingyu, Director General of the Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters. Provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

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On the first anniversary of the inauguration of the Lee Jaemyung administration, the Ministry of Science and ICT highlighted its key achievements as laying the groundwork for Korea to develop into one of the world’s prime three synthetic intelligence (AI) powers, restoring the analysis and growth (R&D) ecosystem, and easing burdens on folks’s livelihoods by guaranteeing primary communication rights. The Ministry goals to obtain its aim of turning into a international top-three AI powerhouse by way of the growth of proprietary AI fashions, securing superior graphics processing items (GPUs), and strengthening AI literacy nationwide.

On the twenty ninth, the Ministry of Science and ICT held a press convention in the fundamental convention corridor of the Seoul Central Post Office and introduced its core achievements over the previous 12 months.

Baek Kyung-Hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, said, “Korea is now steadily advancing toward becoming a top-three AI powerhouse,” including, “With bolder and more comprehensive support, we will accelerate our leap as a full-stack AI supplier nation and deliver tangible results that the public can feel in their daily lives.” He went on, “In the second half of the year, we will release our second proprietary AI model to further Korea’s AI self-reliance, while also breaking ground on the National AI Computing Center to expand infrastructure that will lead global technology competition.”

260,000 Advanced GPUs to Be Secured Without Delay by 2030

The Ministry of Science and ICT has made strengthening nationwide AI competitiveness its prime precedence. As a end result of encouraging proprietary AI growth, Korea ranked third in main international assessments akin to the AI Index by Stanford University in the United States and the Global AI Model Performance Evaluation Platform (AAII) operated by AI analysis company Artificial Analysis.

The authorities is working to guarantee the well timed acquisition of 260,000 superior GPUs—Korea’s nationwide AI infrastructure—by 2030, and in January, it applied the “AI Basic Act,” the world’s second such regulation. In May, the authorities took steps to loosen up rules by way of the “Special Act on AI Data Centers.” Additionally, proprietary AI fashions are being supported in order that they’re utilized not solely in the growth section but additionally throughout all sectors, together with semiconductor factories, authorities administrative networks, and R&D finances evaluations, thereby spreading their use in each trade and the public sector.

Deputy Prime Minister Baek emphasised that it’s time for Korea to problem the frontier mannequin in AI. He stated, “As we have created eight noteworthy AI models with the resources available, if investments in GPUs and AI infrastructure become more aggressive, we can also take on the frontier model,” and famous, “Once artificial general intelligence (AGI) is achieved, the speed gap will widen exponentially, so we must also jump into the frontier model to reach AGI.”

Efforts are additionally being made to strengthen AI literacy for the total inhabitants. The quantity of AI Digital Learning Centers has nearly doubled from 37 to 69, and the quantity of folks receiving AI schooling has elevated from 910,000 to 1.3 million. The first-ever nationwide AI competitors, held this 12 months, is predicted to entice participation from over 2 million folks by the finish of the 12 months.

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Efforts to set up a dynamic R&D ecosystem are additionally ongoing. The Ministry formulated a record-high R&D finances of 35.5 trillion received, up 20% from the earlier 12 months, to assist restore the analysis ecosystem, and invested 2.74 trillion received in primary analysis—a 17% enhance year-on-year. The quantity of new R&D tasks has additionally expanded from 3,772 to 7,022.

Notably, the Ministry abolished the preliminary feasibility examine system for R&D—a long-standing want of the analysis group—after 18 years, drastically shortening the interval from challenge proposal to finances allocation and adjustment from two years to 5 months. In addition, the project-based system (PBS), which induced extreme competitors for analysis contracts, was additionally abolished. A brand new class for discretionary use of analysis funds (10%) was established, and administrative kinds for oblique prices had been streamlined by over 90%, from 2,171 to 154.

Support for expertise in science and know-how has been expanded as properly. The quantity of recipients of grasp’s scholarships was elevated from 1,000 to 1,625, and for the first time this 12 months, 1,000 doctoral scholarships had been launched. More than 200 excellent abroad skills had been recruited domestically in the first half of the 12 months.

With the Ministry of Science and ICT being elevated to a deputy prime minister-level ministry for the first time in 17 years, the Science and Technology Ministers’ Meeting launched final November is now serving as a cross-ministry coordination and cooperation platform. The Ministry has built-in and reorganized the fragmented know-how administration programs operated by every ministry and is supporting AI transformation (AX) throughout authorities departments.

To deal with corporations experiencing repeated information breaches, the “Information and Communications Network Act” was revised in March to enable for thorough investigations and punitive fines of up to 3% of gross sales. Furthermore, to allow the public to entry primary information with out incurring extra prices, the “Data Safe Option,” beforehand accessible just for mid- to high-priced information plans supplied by the three telecom suppliers, was expanded to all information plans.

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Baek Kyung-Hoon: “Invest Even More Aggressively in AI”

Deputy Prime Minister Baek stated, “If last year was about fueling expectations for a better daily life and future through science, technology, and AI, in our second year, we will focus on creating synergy and results by linking together the policies we have pursued so far,” including, “In the AI sector, we will invest even more aggressively to further solidify our capabilities as a global top-three AI power.”

In explicit, the Ministry will launch the “AI for All Project,” which is able to present proprietary AI-based companies to the total inhabitants free of cost, and increase public expertise by making use of AI schooling and public-private AX nationwide. The Ok-AI ecosystem shall be additional strengthened by actively securing large-scale reference circumstances to speed up the adoption of Korean AI semiconductors.

To reply to high-performance and high-risk AI cyber threats, an emergency job power for the personal sector shall be established, and vulnerability and patch administration shall be unified. The Ministry plans to push for a main shift to an AI safety system by securing sovereignty in AI-based safety know-how and increasing zero-trust safety in the future.

In the area of science and know-how, the Ministry goals to set up a dynamic R&D ecosystem at the area degree, aspiring to develop into one of the world’s prime 5 science and know-how powers. To this finish, it plans to announce the “6th Basic Plan for Science and Technology” and the “2nd National R&D Mid- to Long-term Investment Strategy.” In addition, by setting milestones for every mission in the “K-Moonshot” initiative, the Ministry goals to produce main achievements in strategic sectors akin to semiconductors, small modular reactors (SMR), humanoids, quantum know-how, and biotechnology.

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