Gwangju Charts the Path to "AI for All" in Hangzhou

Public Infrastructure, Talent Development, Technology Advancement, Demonstration, and Industry
Delegation Benchmarks AI Computing Center and AI Town

Kang Kijeong, mayor of Gwangju, visited the Artificial Intelligence Computing Center in Hangzhou, China, on the afternoon of the 25th (local time) and received an introduction to the internal facilities from the center officials. Photo by Gwangju City

The city of Gwangju has benchmarked the artificial intelligence (AI) policies of Hangzhou, China, which have succeeded through concentrated government investment, and has developed a concrete blueprint for attracting the National AI Computing Center and establishing the 'AX Demonstration Valley'.

By advancing the 'Gwangju-style AI for All' strategy, which connects public infrastructure investment, talent development, technology advancement, demonstration, and industry, the city aims to realize the national vision of becoming one of the top three leading AI countries.

On the afternoon of the 25th (local time), Mayor Kang Kijeong and the Gwangju delegation visited key AI industry infrastructure in Hangzhou, including the government-led Hangzhou AI Computing Center, the Hangzhou AI Town as a demonstration hub, Zhejiang University as a talent incubator, and various AI companies, to examine infrastructure construction and operational strategies.

Officials from the institutions and companies visited by the delegation unanimously stated, "Today's Hangzhou was made possible by the government's (public sector's) extensive and concentrated investment." Currently, China has established 25 public computing power platforms (AI computing centers) with a combined capacity of 5,000 petaflops, providing services to companies, universities (for education), and scientific research units. Since Hangzhou was designated as the 'National Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Development Pilot Zone' in 2019, the city has built its infrastructure under government leadership, based on domestically produced AI semiconductors from Huawei. Such bold government investment has accelerated the development of the AI industry and served as a catalyst for the emergence of innovative AI companies in China.

In contrast, in Korea, the 'National AI Data Center' and 'AI Convergence Complex' strategically chosen by Gwangju in 2017 for the country's future growth remain the only public AI infrastructure. As the government is currently soliciting bids for the National AI Computing Center, Gwangju is emphasizing that it is the optimal location for its establishment. Gwangju, the only city in Korea equipped with public AI infrastructure, is advocating for additional infrastructure to be built there in order to compete more rapidly in the global AI race.

Having entered the competition to host the National AI Computing Center, the city is exploring various ways to utilize it by leveraging its experience operating the existing National AI Data Center.

The delegation thoroughly examined the operational scale and methods of the Hangzhou AI Computing Center, which serves as the core of the industrial belt in collaboration with Zhejiang University and Alibaba, in order to benchmark its operating model.

On the 25th, the delegation also initiated talent exchange and cooperation with Zhejiang University, which has produced founders of three of China's 'Six Little Dragons'-DeepSeek, DeepRobotics, and MiniCoreTech. Zhejiang University is well-known as the alma mater of these founders and as a cradle of AI talent.

Following the signing of a friendship and cooperation agreement with the Hangzhou city government on the 24th, the city laid the groundwork for practical cooperation in talent development through meetings with Zhejiang University President Ma Yanming and others. At Hangzhou AI Town, the delegation confirmed the success of AI demonstration hubs such as the 5G Innovation Park.

Before visiting Zhejiang University, the delegation attended the 4th Digital Trade Expo in the morning, where they visited booths of the 'Six Little Dragons'-DeepSeek, DeepRobotics, BrainCo, Game Science, MiniCoreTech, and Unitree-to observe innovative technologies such as humanoid robots.

Mayor Kang Kijeong stated, "After witnessing the growth of AI infrastructure, universities, and companies in Hangzhou, I am once again convinced that Gwangju's path toward sovereign AI for Korea is the right one. We will thoroughly analyze the successful case of Hangzhou, which thrived under the strong support of the Chinese government, mobilize all regional capabilities to ensure the successful establishment of the AX Demonstration Valley and the National AI Computing Center, and, through these efforts, elevate Korea to become one of the world's top three AI powerhouses."

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