[Why&Next] Why Google DeepMind Is Building Its First Overseas 'AI Campus' in Korea

Google: "Korea is the Most Active Country in AI Innovation"

Complete Overhaul of Existing Startup Campus

Considering Dispatching 10 DeepMind Employees for On-site Collaboration

"Korea has an outstanding position to rise as a powerhouse in artificial intelligence (AI). In addition to top universities and researchers such as Seoul National University and KAIST, the country has a solid AI industry foundation spanning from semiconductors to robotics." - Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind

The decision by Google DeepMind to establish its first overseas AI campus in Korea reflects several factors: the Korean government's strong drive to foster an AI ecosystem with the goal of becoming one of the 'top three AI powers,' the country's pool of exceptional talent, and the presence of a diverse range of major partnership companies, including leading semiconductor firms. Google DeepMind has noted that there are many opportunities for collaboration with Korea, given its rapid adoption of AI and its innovative capabilities.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on April 28, the AI campus that Google plans to set up in Korea within the year will be created by completely remodeling the existing startup campus located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. On a site of approximately 2,000 square meters, DeepMind researchers, along with members of the domestic academic community and startups, will join forces for collaborative AI research to tackle grand challenges in areas such as life sciences, meteorology, and climate. Notably, on the previous day, President Lee Jaemyung requested that DeepMind dispatch 10 employees to be stationed at the Google AI campus during his meeting with CEO Hassabis, who responded positively, heightening expectations for substantive cooperation.

Google Korea announced through its blog, "The AI campus to be established in Korea will serve as a hub where Korean academia and research institutions can collaborate with Google’s world-class AI experts," and added, "Starting with cooperation with Seoul National University, KAIST, and the three major AI bio-innovation research hubs under the Ministry of Science and ICT, we plan to leverage Google’s models in fields such as life sciences, energy, and climate." Google intends to use 'AlphaEvolve,' a Gemini-based coding agent for advanced algorithm design, to boost new drug development possibilities, and will also pursue research to accelerate prediction of protein, DNA, and RNA structures through 'AlphaFold,' which is currently used by more than 85,000 researchers in Korea.

Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, is giving a greeting speech at the Science and ICT Ministry-Google DeepMind MOU signing ceremony held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 27th. Photo by Yonhap News

On the afternoon of the previous day at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, CEO Hassabis met with Baek Kyunghoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) focusing on key areas of collaboration such as joint scientific research in AI, AI talent development, and responsible AI use.

At the ceremony, CEO Hassabis predicted, "The era of artificial general intelligence (AGI) will arrive within five years, and these changes will have an impact ten times greater than previous industrial revolutions," adding, "If we successfully navigate and address the various challenges posed by this transformation, we could see a golden age of scientific advancement."

CEO Hassabis also expressed anticipation for close partnerships with Korean companies, mentioning scheduled meetings with Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, Hyundai Motor, Boston Dynamics, and LG Electronics.

Deputy Prime Minister Baek stated, "We will pursue a variety of AI research and collaborative initiatives centered on the National Science AI Research Center, which will begin operations next month. As seen recently with Anthropic’s ‘Mythos’ model, AI is deeply penetrating areas such as hacking and security, so I look forward to continued joint research with Google DeepMind to ensure safe AI usage."

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