[Exclusive] "Only 1% of Needed GPUs Secured, No Place to Store Them"... AI Defense Plan to Cut Guard Personnel by 16,000 in Doubt

The Ministry of National Defense currently possesses only about 1% of the graphics processing units (GPUs) it actually needs. While the ministry emphasizes the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for national defense and security, it is facing a shortage of this core component, and there is not even an available center to store additional GPUs if they were to be acquired.

The Ministry of National Defense plans to convert the frontline General Outpost (GOP) into an AI-based scientific system, reducing the number of guard troops to about 6,000.

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According to the Ministry of National Defense on April 28, the military plans to gradually reduce the number of guard troops stationed at the frontline General Outpost (GOP) and transition to an AI-based scientific surveillance system. On April 7, Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek stated at a press briefing, "Currently, there are about 22,000 guard troops stationed at frontline GOPs, but with an AI-based scientific system, this number will be reduced to around 6,000."

The military estimates it will need approximately 50,000 GPUs to implement AI right away. In contrast, the number of GPUs actually available at the ministry’s data centers is extremely limited. Even when combining those stored at the National Defense Data Center and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the total amounts to only about 500 GPUs-just 1% of what is required.

The Defense Integrated Data Center, which manages the military’s network, has 32 GPUs. Each military branch’s computer room has 55 GPUs, and the Battlefield Data Center at the Defense Communication Command, responsible for communications during wartime, has only four. The Agency for Defense Development, which researches weapons systems, also holds 480 GPUs. Although it planned to secure an additional 320 GPUs last year, the plan was abandoned due to a lack of storage space. Even if more GPUs are acquired, there are concerns over storage issues due to insufficient available space, power supply, and cooling capacity. The first Defense Integrated Data Center, located in Yongin, has a maximum storage capacity of 249 GPUs, while the second center in Gyeryong can accommodate up to 480 GPUs.

The military cannot outsource management to private cloud service providers such as Naver Cloud or Kakao. According to the National Intelligence Service’s security guidelines, defense-related fields cannot utilize these services. Ultimately, without building new data centers, there is no way to store GPUs, rendering any plans to use AI meaningless. Given the nature of national security, new military data centers must be equipped with underground facilities, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protection, as well as electromagnetic pulse (EMP) shielding. The military estimates that the necessary budget for this would exceed 2 trillion won.

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Both inside and outside the military, there are calls for building centers capable of storing large numbers of GPUs, similar to those established by the Ministry of Science and ICT. The ministry plans to invest 2 trillion won by 2028 to build a "National AI Computing Center" capable of housing 50,000 GPUs. In addition, on April 27, the ministry met with Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind, to begin full-scale cooperation on AI.

A military official stated, "Based on the results of a research study for data centers, we are pursuing the construction of additional centers, and currently, the Agency for Defense Development's Defense Artificial Intelligence Technology Research Institute is conducting AI research."

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