"Attracting the National AI Computing Center"... Gwangju Regional-Industry-Academia-Research 'One Team'

"Governance General Council" Brings Together Over 50 Organizations, Companies, and Universities
Ecosystem Vitalization for Leading Regional Industries Through United Innovation Capacity

Kim Youngmoon, Vice Mayor of Culture and Economy of Gwangju City, and participants who attended the "Gwangju Regional-Industry-Academia-Research Governance General Council" meeting held on the 23rd at the International Conference Room of the Science and Technology Headquarters of Gwangju Technopark are taking a commemorative photo. Provided by Gwangju City

On September 23, Gwangju City held a meeting of the "Gwangju Regional-Industry-Academia-Research Governance General Council" at the International Conference Room of the Science and Technology Headquarters of Gwangju Technopark to discuss strategies for regional industrial development.

The "Regional-Industry-Academia-Research Governance General Council" was launched in June 2023. It is a collaborative network that brings together major companies, research institutes, support organizations, and universities to revitalize the regional industrial ecosystem, foster small and medium-sized enterprises, and address local issues.

The meeting was attended by Kim Youngmoon, Vice Mayor of Culture and Economy; Kim Dongcheol, Director of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Regional Office of SMEs and Startups; Kim Youngjib, President of Gwangju Technopark; chairpersons of the regional industry-academia-research councils representing Gwangju's major industries; heads of university RISE project groups; the President of the Korea Photonics Technology Institute; and more than 50 heads of research and support organizations.

The agenda included a report on the operation of the governance council, the status of reflecting presidential election Gwangju pledges in national policy tasks, strategies for attracting the National AI Computing Center, and listening to current regional industrial issues. Participants continued discussions to identify solutions for future growth while seeking ways to foster and cooperate in regional industries.

The Governance General Council has served as a strong pillar of cooperation by holding six industry-specific roundtables in the first half of this year, where they discussed regional issues such as export response strategies in light of the launch of the second Trump administration and the recovery efforts following the fire at the Kumho Tire Gwangju plant.

In the second half of the year, the council continues to hold roundtables for sectors such as energy and artificial intelligence (AI), strengthening ties between local universities and innovation institutions, discovering new policies and projects, and providing support to resolve pending issues.

Kim Youngmoon, Vice Mayor of Culture and Economy, stated, "The Lee Jaemyung administration has presented a national balanced growth strategy focused on five major hubs and three special zones, aiming for global competitiveness beyond the current concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area. Gwangju City, together with Jeonnam, will focus on fostering key industries such as energy, artificial intelligence (AI), and mobility to lay the foundation for future growth."

He added, "Gwangju City has successfully completed the first phase of the AI project with an investment of 430 billion won over the past five years and has recently achieved an exemption from the preliminary feasibility study for the second phase, amounting to 600 billion won. Now, we are taking on the new challenge of attracting the National AI Computing Center. We will work as one team with the industry-academia-research governance to advance Gwangju's nine major industries."

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