Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance: "Gwangju to Develop Big Data Dam and National AI Hub"

Gwangju AI Startup Camp Visits Gwangju-Jeonnam Joint Innovation City Energy Cluster

Ando-geol, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, is seen visiting an artificial intelligence startup camp located in Gwangju Metropolitan City on the 16th, receiving explanations from officials. (Photo by Ministry of Economy and Finance)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Ando Geol, Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance, announced on the 16th, "We plan to develop Gwangju into a genuine big data dam and a national artificial intelligence (AI) hub."

On the same day, Vice Minister Ando visited the AI Startup Camp in Dong-gu, Gwangju, and the Gwangju-Jeonnam Joint Innovation City Energy Cluster to inspect the progress of financial projects such as the establishment of the Gwangju AI cluster and the Gwangju-Jeonnam Regional Innovation Project (RIS).

Vice Minister Ando stated that they will focus on developing Gwangju as a leading AI cluster, saying, "We will begin construction of the data center this year, establish 77 types of demonstration equipment next year, and complete the aggregation of AI core infrastructure such as computing resources, data, and large-scale demonstration equipment by 2024."

He also emphasized that while planning the second phase development plan in preparation for the post-2024 cluster establishment, they will focus on the three regional specialized industries?automotive, energy, and healthcare?to foster innovative products and services utilizing AI.

He evaluated the Gwangju AI Academy as an innovative case and stated, "We will continue to expand financial investment in AI mid- and advanced-level talent development projects based on regional demand, and include a new program in next year’s budget for universities and companies in the region to jointly cultivate software talent."

He explained that they will expand region-leading AI convergence projects by additionally designating target areas for supporting local companies’ AI solution development and demonstration projects, and increase support for lifestyle-oriented intelligent information technology utilization projects such as intelligent CCTV.

Regarding RIS, where local governments, universities, companies, and research institutes collaborate on workforce development and technology development, he said, "We will support the projects without delay to create an innovative industry-academia-research cooperation model and focus on actively inducing investments from local education offices, and accordingly allocate related budgets."

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