On the 20th, the Ministry of Science and ICT presented a plan to strengthen national AI capabilities through the expansion of AI computing infrastructure at the 3rd National Artificial Intelligence Committee held at Seoul Square. This measure expands and complements the original 'comprehensive plan for AI computing infrastructure' that was scheduled to be established according to the '2025 economic policy direction' in light of the intensifying global AI competition and the sudden rise of China's DeepSeek.
In a situation where the artificial intelligence hegemony competition has turned into a national-level all-out war, the government presented three main strategies for advancement towards becoming one of the top three AI nations: ▲ expansion of AI computing infrastructure, ▲ development of next-generation AI models, and ▲ acceleration of AI transition, along with six key tasks.
First, the government plans to launch a national AI computing infrastructure master plan that will use the Gwangju AI data center and private clouds in the short term, secure a scale of 18,000 advanced GPUs by 2026, and expand the share of domestic AI semiconductors to 50% within the national AI computing center by 2030. Additionally, tax support for stimulating private AI infrastructure investment will be strengthened, and AI will be designated as a national strategic technology to expand the tax deduction rate for R&D and infrastructure investment up to 50%.
To secure competitive capability in proprietary AI models, the government will establish the 'World Best LLM (WBL)' project to support the development of large language models of the highest global standards. Furthermore, to strengthen AI competitiveness, a 'Global AI Challenge' will be held, offering incentives such as startup support and job connections with AI corporations to winners.
To cultivate advanced AI talent, the existing New York 'AI Frontier Lab' will be expanded to Europe, and a new program to support domestic early-career researchers will be established. Additionally, an 'AI+X Graduate School' in cooperation with corporations and universities will be established to operate specialized AI education curricula, while actively promoting the recruitment of top global talent.
To accelerate the AI transition, the government will create initial markets for domestic AI models based on AI infrastructure and pursue department cooperation leading projects that integrate AI into various fields. Major projects include ▲ AI digital textbooks, ▲ customized medical and health management services, ▲ AI-based legal information provision and document drafting support, ▲ AI CCTV safety services, and ▲ public collaborative AI services.
Minister Yoo Sang-im noted, 'As the competition for artificial intelligence hegemony expands to the national level, the speed of response is crucial,' adding, 'If the government is one year late, competitiveness will fall behind by three years, and we will make substantial investments in AI computing infrastructure and core talent development.'