Seoul City Begins Construction of AI Support Center in Yangjae R&D Innovation District

Seoul AI Support Center Conceptual Drawing

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 11th that it will begin construction of the 'Artificial Intelligence (AI) Support Center' within the Yangjae Research and Development (R&D) Innovation District on the 14th.

The center will be built on the site of the former Quality Testing Office annex (108 Taebong-ro, Seocho-gu, 141 U-myeon-dong) covering 5,098.7㎡ of land, with a total floor area of 10,020㎡, consisting of one basement floor and seven above-ground floors. Once completed, more than 500 people including startup employees and researchers will work there.

The construction cost will be 31.7 billion KRW, with a target completion date of April 2023.

The center will serve as a core facility for nurturing AI startups and training specialized talent. The city explained that key players leading the AI industry such as startups, research institutes, and graduate schools will gather there.

Last year, the city attracted the 'Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) AI Graduate School,' the nation's first AI graduate school, as the first graduate school to be established in the Yangjae R&D Innovation District, and plans to house it in the center once completed.

The first and second floors of the center will feature open lounges and cafes for AI companies and research institutes; floors two through four will include office spaces, meeting rooms, rest areas, and open kitchens for resident companies; and floors five through seven will be occupied by the KAIST AI Graduate School.

Floors four through six will have a 'community staircase' installed to facilitate natural interaction and communication between resident companies and KAIST researchers.

The center's space will be designed as a 'Barrier-Free (BF)' environment to ensure safe and convenient use for people with disabilities, non-disabled individuals, the general public, and those with mobility challenges. The center's design has received preliminary BF certification from the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled and will obtain full certification after completion.

Jinpal Kim, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Urban Infrastructure Headquarters, stated, "This will establish a continuous growth foundation to proactively support and nurture companies related to the rapidly growing global AI industry, big data, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and other Fourth Industrial Revolution sectors."

The Yangjae R&D Innovation District is home to the 'AI Yangjae Hub,' a specialized institution for fostering technology startups, which opened in 2017 and currently houses 88 AI startups.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.