The Ministry of Science and ICT has officially announced its commitment to developing globally competitive frontier artificial intelligence (AI) models. The ministry will pursue a 'two-track' strategy, advancing its existing independent AI foundation model (IndepAI) after conducting scheduled evaluations to ensure its applicability in industrial settings.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Baek Kyung-hun posted on his social media on September 30, stating, "The development of the IndepAI will continue. At the same time, I believe South Korea must also challenge itself in frontier AI development."
Baek emphasized that with significant investments in GPU resources from both the government and private sectors, it is now time to consider "how to cultivate more possibilities." He asserted that frontier AI should be boldly pursued at a national level.
Funding will also be concentrated. During the 13th Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting held that day, the ministry announced plans to invest approximately 4 trillion won in seven future growth seed (SEED) projects next year, and to allocate over 200 trillion won from 2026 to 2030 as part of its 'National R&D Long-term Investment Strategy.'
The ministry's move to develop frontier AI stems from the belief that securing its own models will be crucial for national competitiveness. Ha Jung-woo, vice chairman of the National AI Strategy Committee, previously highlighted the necessity of developing frontier models. Concerns have been raised that relying solely on foreign models could jeopardize AI sovereignty in sensitive areas such as defense, finance, and administration, especially as global tech giants rapidly enhance AI model performance.
Lee Jong-ho, a professor at Seoul National University and former Minister of Science and ICT, noted, "Sovereign AI is about acquiring the ability to train our algorithms without relying on foreign models in defense, finance, and administration. Particularly in defense, we cannot simply use foreign models, so we need to develop our capabilities."
In the afternoon, Baek presented the potential applications of frontier AI models at the Korea Federation of Science and Technology Societies in Gangnam, Seoul. He stated, "These models can be utilized to solve challenges that humanity has yet to address in cybersecurity, science, and mathematics. Securing models capable of solving problems that current AI cannot tackle is directly linked to national competitiveness."
The ministry is reportedly considering establishing a special purpose company (SPC) for public-private joint investment in frontier AI model development. The decision on the SPC's establishment and its business structure is expected to be clarified after the national budget is approved.
However, there are concerns that if billions of won in public and private capital are concentrated on frontier model development, some large corporations with capital might monopolize the benefits. Controversies surrounding the selection of participating companies and stage evaluations in the IndepAI project have raised questions about the criteria for selecting operators and the appropriateness of government support.
The existing IndepAI project will proceed separately from the frontier AI initiative. The ministry is currently conducting scheduled evaluations for three teams involved, including LG AI Research, SK Telecom, and Upstage.
Baek concluded, "We will break through the limits of South Korean technology with frontier AI, and the IndepAI will serve as two pillars for ensuring that South Korean AI is utilized across various industries and society. It is not a matter of choosing one over the other."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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