"Pohang Is the Optimal Location"... Pohang City Officially Announces Bid to Attract Asia-Pacific AI Center

Pohang City is officially moving forward with efforts to attract the Asia-Pacific AI Center in line with the APEC AI Initiative.

On the 17th, Mayor Kangdeok Lee of Pohang held a policy meeting with the heads of major research institutions to discuss strategies for attracting the Asia-Pacific AI Center.

Mayor Kangdeok Lee of Pohang held a policy meeting with heads of major research institutions on the 17th to discuss strategies for attracting the Asia-Pacific AI Center. Photo by Pohang City

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The meeting was attended by Misao Sasaki, Director of the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics; Park Jaehun, Director of the Max Planck Institute; Park Sujin, Director of Research at POSTECH; and Yoo Hwanjo, Deputy Director of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute. They affirmed their commitment to joint cooperation and support.

The center is expected to serve as a hub for international cooperation among member countries, not only by promoting technical standardization, interoperability, AI safety and ethics, and ongoing R&D collaboration, but also by supporting the achievement of policy goals, encouraging private investment, and facilitating mutual cooperation among member nations.

Pohang is a city that has successfully attracted and operated global research hubs such as the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics and the Max Planck Korea-POSTECH Research Institute.

The Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, established in 1996 in conjunction with the APEC Summit, is the only international theoretical physics center in Korea. It has built a research network with 19 member countries and has actively promoted international cooperation with Asia-Pacific member nations, including supporting exchange programs for more than 300 young scientists to date.

The Max Planck Institute, established in Pohang in 2011 by the Max Planck Society of Germany, which has produced numerous Nobel laureates, serves as an international joint research hub. It conducts world-class collaborative research in advanced basic science fields such as quantum materials and plays a key role in strengthening the global research capabilities and international exchange opportunities for young Korean researchers.

Pohang has been selected as a base city for international basic science and AI-related research institutions such as the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics and the Max Planck Institute. This is due to its outstanding basic science research capabilities centered on POSTECH, as well as its world-class research infrastructure, including the Pohang Light Source, which together provide the optimal environment for international research institutions to grow and thrive stably.

World-class national research facilities such as the Pohang Light Source, the Pohang Nano Convergence Technology Institute, and the Korea Institute of Robot and Convergence, along with excellent research talent centered around POSTECH and Handong Global University, are all concentrated in one location. This positions Pohang as a key hub city for fostering the artificial intelligence industry.

Additionally, Pohang is the center of the steel and secondary battery industries and is actively fostering new industries such as hydrogen and bio. An integrated and demonstration ecosystem that incorporates AI across industries has been established. With the nation’s highest power self-sufficiency rate exceeding 200% and a stable power grid, Pohang is considered a city with the energy and infrastructure to support energy-intensive AI data centers and high-performance computing infrastructure.

Such industrial and energy infrastructure is essential for an AI center that requires large-scale computing infrastructure, demonstrable industrial sites, and specialized research institutions, making Pohang stand out as the optimal location.

Going forward, Pohang City plans to swiftly implement a step-by-step roadmap for attracting the Asia-Pacific AI Center, including follow-up meetings with university and research institution leaders, the formation of a promotion committee, feasibility and master plan studies, and a vision declaration ceremony.

Misao Sasaki, Director of the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, stated, "The reason the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics was able to successfully settle in Pohang is because the city has the research environment needed for international research institutions to grow stably. Above all, it is crucial to establish a foundation that enables international cooperative research institutions to operate reliably."

Park Jaehun, Director of the Max Planck Institute, added, "The Asia-Pacific AI Center should become a world-class research hub combining basic and applied sciences with AI. It must be established on research infrastructure already recognized globally. In this regard, Pohang is the most proactive and consistent city among local governments in providing support and cooperation. I am confident that Pohang is the optimal location for the Asia-Pacific AI Center to achieve tangible results."

Mayor Kangdeok Lee said, "If the Asia-Pacific AI Center is successfully attracted, Pohang will grow into the central city for AI policy and research cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. This will be a significant milestone in Pohang's development as a science city based on AI."

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