Science minister vows support to foster S. Korea as 'full-stack' AI provider

SEOUL, May 31 (Yonhap) -- Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon vowed to double down on efforts to support the local artificial intelligence (AI) sector so that South Korea can become a "full stack" supplier of the technology.

Bae made the remarks at a press conference held Friday, saying South Korea should now take on the challenge of developing a frontier AI model, on par with competitors from the United States and China.

The minister's comments come as government-led efforts to select developers for South Korea's homegrown AI foundation models are currently in progress.

Four teams, LG AI Research, SK Telecom Co., as well as startups Upstage and Motif Technologies Inc., made it through the first round with the second-round of survivors expected to be announced in early August.

Bae said the country has "improved a lot" in terms of AI-related technical prowess, noting that South Korea was recognized as the third-largest AI power last year by Stanford University's AI Index.

But the level of investments, particularly in AI-related infrastructure, still fall short of those from other countries, he argued.

"I think the government budget earmarked for AI is only close to the amount of investments from one U.S. big tech company," Bae said.

As part of efforts to construct AI infrastructure, the ministry is working to build more data centers utilizing graphic processing units (GPUs), including more than 260,000 GPU units it secured from NVIDIA Corp. last year.

The science ministry is also focused on using neural processing units (NPUs), a type of advanced chip used in AI machine learning, produced by local companies, he said.

When asked about his opinion on how to redistribute windfall profits generated by the recent AI boom, Bae said it is important to create equitable access to AI models, saying that a reduction in jobs and concentration of wealth are inevitable problems in the AI era.

There have been debates within the government on how to utilize the tax surpluses and corporate profits from the country's major chipmakers amid the AI boom, with a presidential official once coming under the spotlight for proposing public redistribution in the form of "citizen dividends."

"One of the ways to address this issue is to establish a system where every person has access to and can utilize at least one AI agent ... allowing everyone to participate in economic activities through AI and ensuring equal opportunities for all," Bae said.

During the conference, Bae also highlighted some of the achievements the ministry made during the past year.

The science ministry has raised the government budget for research and development (R&D) by 20 percent from a year earlier, to 35.5 trillion won (US$23.5 billion), the largest amount on record.

It has simplified the administrative process needed to start R&D projects, while establishing a regulatory framework for innovation through legislation on AI and data centers, he said.

"We will accelerate efforts to become a leading full-stack AI supplier among the top three AI powers, and through even bolder and more comprehensive support, deliver tangible results that people can experience in their daily lives."

fairydust@yna.co.kr
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