Science ministry seeks to inject 16 tln won in 5 yrs to foster AI sector: sources

SEOUL, June 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's science ministry has requested a budget of more than 16 trillion won (US$11.7 billion) over the next five years to build national artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and support AI-related research and development (R&D) activities, industry sources said Wednesday.

The Ministry of Science and ICT has filed the proposal to allocate a total of 16.08 trillion won with a goal of making South Korea one of the world's top three AI powerhouses by 2030, according to the sources.

The ministry declined to confirm.

Of the proposed funding, 12.3 trillion won would be earmarked for establishing an "AI Highway," which includes building an AI data center equipped with 50,000 graphic processing units (GPUs), they said.

Additional funding would support AI-related R&D, the development of AI-specialized industrial complexes and policy loan programs. The budget would also be used to nurture skilled professionals to lead innovation in the AI sector.

Separately, the ministry has called for 3.09 trillion won in funding over five years to enhance the country's digital infrastructure and improve user convenience.

Of that amount, 2.34 trillion won would be allocated to strengthening cybersecurity and building a safer digital environment.

The ministry also proposed easing the public's telecom burden by allowing mobile phone bills to qualify for tax deductions.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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