Autonomous Driving Technology Development Innovation Project Group Accelerates Development of Autonomous Driving 'Level 4+' Technology... 1.1 Trillion KRW Support Over 7 Years

Accelerating Commercialization of Converged Level 4+ Autonomous Vehicles by 2027
Government to Support with 1.0974 Trillion KRW over 7 Years... 373 Research Institutions and 3,474 Researchers Participating

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] The Autonomous Driving Technology Development Innovation Project Group announced on the 27th that it has completed the kickoff reports for 53 detailed tasks on the 17th and has officially begun the development of Level 4+ autonomous driving technology capable of safe and flawless autonomous driving.

The Autonomous Driving Technology Development Innovation Project is a multi-ministerial collaborative project promoted by four ministries: the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the National Police Agency. The project is conducted over seven years with a total budget of 1.0974 trillion KRW.

This project is jointly managed by the project group and R&D specialized institutions from each ministry, aiming to complete the commercialization foundation of converged Level 4+ autonomous driving. It supports 88 detailed tasks centered on five strategic areas: ▲vehicle convergence new technologies ▲ICT convergence new technologies ▲road traffic convergence new technologies ▲service creation ▲ecosystem establishment. Among the 53 detailed tasks selected this year, a total of 3,474 researchers, including 1,524 master's and doctoral researchers from 373 autonomous driving-related institutions, will participate in research and development for Level 4+ commercialization.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy leads the development of vehicle convergence new technologies and the establishment of the autonomous driving ecosystem in two strategic areas and 16 detailed tasks. A total of 104 institutions participate, including 54 small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized companies, 8 large corporations, 21 national research institutes, and 11 universities such as Hyundai Mobis, Mando, Seoul Robotics, Korea Automotive Technology Institute, Korea Standards Association, and KAIST. Among them, 799 researchers including 341 master's and doctoral researchers are involved in developing autonomous driving vehicle components for perception, judgment, and control.

The Ministry of Science and ICT participates in three strategic areas?ICT convergence new technologies, vehicle convergence new technologies, and autonomous driving ecosystem establishment?and 15 detailed tasks. A total of 92 institutions, including 35 small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized companies, 6 large corporations, 21 national research institutes, and 18 universities such as KT, Morai, Stris, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, and Seoul National University, are involved. Among them, 903 researchers including 316 master's and doctoral researchers work on data collection and processing automation technology, vehicle communication and security, cloud-edge linked autonomous driving AI software, and simulator development.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport leads three strategic areas?road traffic convergence new technology development, autonomous driving services, and autonomous driving ecosystem?and 13 detailed tasks. A total of 103 institutions participate, including 40 small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized companies, 12 large corporations, 26 national research institutes, and 18 universities such as Hyundai Motor Company, SK Telecom, Kakao Mobility, Autonomous A2Z, Korea Transportation Safety Authority, Korea Transport Institute, and Yonsei University. Among them, 1,085 researchers including 540 master's and doctoral researchers lead road-traffic technology, dynamic mapping, legal and institutional improvements, and mobility service demonstrations.

The National Police Agency participates in two strategic areas?road traffic convergence new technologies and autonomous driving ecosystem?and 9 detailed tasks. A total of 74 institutions, including 32 small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized companies, 1 large corporation, 8 national research institutes, and 17 universities such as LG Uplus, Naver Systems, ChargeIn, Road Traffic Authority, Korea Electronics Technology Institute, and Hanyang University, are involved. Among them, 687 researchers including 327 master's and doctoral researchers work on reviewing overall legislation such as the Road Traffic Act to ensure traffic safety and communication, pre-verification of autonomous vehicle driving capabilities, operation support systems, and traffic accident analysis technology development.

Project Group Leader Jinwoo Choi stated, “Since this project is promoted as a single multi-ministerial project, we plan to establish specific linkage and cooperation plans among detailed tasks without boundaries between ministries to achieve integrated goals.” He added, “The project group will serve as a comprehensive mediator to ensure the success of the project.”

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