Initiative overview
Korea's National AI Project, coordinated through the 6th Science and Technology Minister's Meeting, allocated approximately 3,000 of the 10,000 GPUs procured via the 2025 supplementary budget across ministry-level programmes. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups submitted two project proposals, both of which were approved, securing a combined 264 GPUs exclusively for smaller firms and founders.
The manufacturing-focused project supports consortiums of technology firms and manufacturing companies, providing end-to-end assistance from R&D through to on-site deployment. Participating consortiums may apply GPU resources to AI training on manufacturing process data, dataset development, and technology validation. The initiative aims to accelerate AI transformation in Korea's SME manufacturing sector and lay the groundwork for a sustainable manufacturing innovation ecosystem.
The larger startup incubator operates across three tracks. The Strategic AI Development track (85 GPUs) combines university and government-funded research institute expertise with startup proprietary technologies. The Industry-Specific AI Solutions track (85 GPUs) fosters inter-company collaboration on sector-focused innovation. The Startup for All track (30 GPUs) targets aspiring entrepreneurs, pairing computing access with AI incubation, mentorship, and investment linkage.
The initiative responds directly to the persistent barrier that high computing costs represent for smaller firms and first-time founders, reflecting a policy commitment to ensuring AI transformation is not the exclusive domain of large corporations.
