The Ministry of Science and ICT is pushing to develop an independent AI foundation model that ranks within the top 10 in the world next year, and will establish AI colleges and AX innovation research centers centered around four regional science and technology institutes. Additionally, to enable a major leap forward for South Korea through science and AI, the ministry will also promote AI Co-Scientist, the national challenge ‘K-Moonshot,’ and the fostering of strategic technologies such as bio and quantum.
On the 12th, the Ministry of Science and ICT reported its work plan for next year to the President at the Sejong Convention Center. This report aims to materialize the national tasks of becoming one of the top three AI countries and realizing a strong science and technology nation. Based on the achievements in AI and science and technology since the launch of the people’s sovereignty government, the ministry has prepared four strategies and 12 key tasks to bring about tangible changes and results that the public can feel next year.
The Ministry of Science and ICT has been upgraded to a deputy prime minister organization, and a new Science and Technology Ministers’ Meeting chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology AI has been established, completing the governance of science and technology and AI policy and execution. The ministry has also allocated the largest-ever budget for science and technology and AI, laying the foundation for becoming a global science and technology powerhouse and entering the AI era. Next year, this governance will be fully operational, and public-private cooperation will be swiftly promoted to foster industrial innovation based on science and technology, nurture future new industries, and solve national challenges.
The Ministry of Science and ICT aims to complete the first phase of the independent AI foundation model project by January next year and provide it as open source within the first half of the year, with the goal of entering the top 10 in the world by the end of next year. Additionally, to make South Korea the best country in using AI, the ministry will hold AI competitions for the entire nation and select AI champions. AI education opportunities will be expanded, and an AI highway will be built to respond to the urgent GPU demand from academia, industry, and research.