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South Korea to Spend $38 Billion to Build Native AI Chip Industry Over Five Years
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8ck6rBrDs0
South Korea is stepping up its push to build a native AI chip industry with a bold five-year plan. The government has unveiled a 50 trillion won ($38 billion) investment to develop domestic neural processing units and other AI hardware, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and strengthen Korea’s position in the global AI supply chain. The plan, announced at a joint government-private briefing in Seoul, stresses low power consumption and cost as key design goals.
The initiative is named the K-AI NVIDIA Growth Project and was presented by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Financial Services Commission, in collaboration with Korea Development Bank and five domestic AI chip companies. Attendees included Deputy Prime Minister and ICT Minister Bang Eun-hoon, Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eoghyeon, and executives from firms such as Rebellion, Furyos AI, Hyperexel, DeepX, and Mobileint, among others. The event underscored Seoul’s intent to diversify beyond current U.S. equipment suppliers.
Globally, the AI chip market remains heavily dependent on Nvidia GPUs, which are known for high power usage and substantial cost. Korea’s roadmap, first disclosed last December, prioritizes the rapid development of low-power NPUs and longer-term competitiveness in the AI semiconductor supply chain. Officials described the effort as part of a broader strategy to “build an AI highway” domestically, securing substantial GPU supply partnerships with Nvidia while expanding indigenous, energy-efficient AI hardware.
The program is one of seven “mega projects” under Korea’s National Growth Fund, a five-year, 150 trillion won public-private investment drive designed to challenge global leadership in advanced technologies. The Financial Services Commission expects about 50 trillion won in related investments over five years, including around 10 trillion won this year for long-term capital to support infrastructure, deployment, and scale-up. Industry participants say timely funding could shorten the path to mass production of next-generation NPUs and accelerate entry into global markets.
Source: https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/421/0008829767